The Valerious Line
by WhisperedMuse
Summary: Her family were dysfunctional. That was for sure. They’d been plagued by Werewolves, Wannabe Vampire Hunters and Vampires themselves. As a family, they faced so much, but came through it all fighting. That was something Anna had to live up to. Chap 17 up.
1. Prologue

Hi everyone this is my new chapter story. It's my take on what Anna and Velkan's childhood would've been like. Obviously it's set before the movie ;) lol.

Disclaimer- I don't own Van Helsing. If I did, do you think I would've killed off Anna?

**Van Helsing 2: The Valerious Line**

**Prologue**

The sun shone brightly in the pale blue sky, illuminating the few cotton-like clouds. While a gentle breeze rustled the auburn leaves on the trees. The great oaks had begun to shed their leaves as another endless winter came around again. Further ahead, the dense pine forest gave way to a wide valley beneath. The snow-capped Transylvanian mountains loomed in the distance; making their presence known. A high waterfall came to a crescendo over the rocky cliffs, ending up in the turquoise pool of the lagoon. The rare sound of laughter carried on the air for miles around. An eleven-year-old boy was clowning around at the waters edge; while a girl, only a year younger was giggling at him. Their parents looked on as the children enjoyed themselves, something they hadn't done in a very long time.

As news of a new Werewolf spread through the village, Boris Valerious took his family to this secluded spot to get away; to forget about all the worries of monsters and curses. The skies began to darken and the decision was made to head back; the threat of Dracula was too great to risk being caught short. Boris and his wife Helena watched in wonder as their children, Velkan and Anna raced off down the track, competing with each other. If they carried on like that, they'd be back at the manor in no time at all.

Dusk drew ever closer, the children had gone to bed. Though he would very much love to have a day like this every day, the family quest to kill Dracula was an ever-growing weight on Boris' shoulders. He was worried. Not just for his family, but for his village. Most of all, he was worried about what should happen if he were to die. The fire began to burn out and Boris did what had almost become his routine. He walked to his room, forgot all about his worries, just long enough so he could get some sleep. Although he was tormented in his dreams by the threat of tomorrow.

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	2. Werewolf hunt

Hey I'm back with chapter one! Now I know that this story has a slow start but things start to pick up in the next chapter. Keep with me people! This chapter is set 3 years after the prologue just so you understand. Anna needs to be older for the events in the story!

Disclaimer- See first chapter (Prologue)

**Werewolf Hunt**

Dusk fell on Valerious manor; and darkness began to envelope Vaseria. A small group of travellers walked up the steep pathway to the entrance of the manor, torches and weapons in hand. Inside, Velkan was gathering weapons and torches to give to the hunting party. Boris Valerious had made it very clear ever since Velkan's thirteenth birthday, that he wanted Velkan to hunt Werewolves like all the other men in the village. Anna was now thirteen and she wanted to join the hunt just like her brother.

"It's not fair." Anna fumed. "Why shouldn't I be allowed to go? I've had just as much experience with swords and guns as the men from the village-maybe more! And I'm old enough!" Velkan chuckled to himself. He knew that his father would have a tough time dissuading her from coming if she was in this sort of mood.

"Anna, Mama and Papa are just trying to do what's right by you. It's nothing personal. Papa is right when he says it's dangerous out there."

"I know it is dangerous Velkan! And as for mama she thinks I should be learning to cook and clean, not how to wield a sword." Anna sighed.

"At least talk to Papa and ask him again if you can join in before you get angry." Velkan jumped from the table he was standing on and stood beside his sister. "It's worth a try." Anna looked up at him and smiled.

"Alright, I'll ask him again." She turned to leave. Changing her mind she turned back to face her brother.

"Velkan?" This time it was his turn to turn around. "Thank you." He smiled at her lovingly.

"It's fine. Now go and ask him before we leave." Anna grinned and ran from the room so fast, she was gone in seconds.

The men from the village were gathered in one of the smaller common rooms in the house. The mood was light as the men preferred to relax before they went hunting. Werewolves could smell fear for miles around. Anna walked apprehensively into the dimly lit room, hoping that her father would talk to her before it was time to set off. As Anna entered the room, all eyes turned towards her. Most were inviting and friendly but as she gazed around, her eyes fell on Fredrik, her father's general of the hunt. His icy glare was enough to make her turn her attentions back to finding her father. Anna turned to her right and found her father sitting on the arm of a big chair; laughing and joking with one of the younger men in the team. When he saw Anna, Boris stood up and embraced her.

"Anna! What can I do for you my love?" He looked at her expectantly.

"I wanted to know if I could join the hunt." Boris' inviting smile turned to a slight frown. He put a strong arm on Anna's back and guided her out of the room. Sighing deeply, he spoke.

"Anna. I'd love to take you on the hunt with me. But it is just too dangerous for someone of your age. Plus your mother doesn't think it's such a good idea."

"So you're saying that I'm too young and Mama doesn't want me to go?" Anna replied.

"Basically, yes my dear." Boris touched Anna's shoulder, thinking he had swayed her round.

"Even though Velkan was my age when he went on his first hunt?" By this time, Anna's mother, Helena, had joined the conversation.

"Anna. I don't want you out there in the dark hunting something that could kill you. You should be at home with me, where you're safe."

"Mama, I don't care about how safe I am. We won't have a chance against Dracula if I don't learn the techniques of Werewolf hunting. So I need to go with Papa. Please?" Boris sighed.

"I'm alright with it as long as you stay close to someone dependable." Anna jumped up and hugged her father.

"Thank you Papa! I'll go and tell Velkan." Gazing after her daughter, Helena looked to Boris.

"Look after her, don't let her get hurt." Boris smiled at his wife. "I won't let anything happen to her. But she was right. If we are to win against Dracula, we must give them the experience they need." With a last look at his wife, Boris returned to his team to start the Werewolf hunt.

Please review I love to hear your opinions on my writing. No flames if you can possibly help it ;)


	3. Trouble

Right chapter two already! Thank you to my amazing reviewers. This Chappie is dedicated to Jawz Da Dogg you know why! I've just realised I don't know how much older Velkan is than Anna but in this story he's only one year older to made the storyline work lol. It may take me longer to update chapter 3 because I only have the drafted version of it and it needs serious work. So I apologize if it takes me slightly longer to update. But the summer hols will play to my advantage as always! Enjoy Chappie 2!

Disclaimer- See prologue!

**Trouble**

The ride to the forest was silent and tense. Although Anna was extremely excited, she was finding it hard to contain the feeling of nervousness in the pit of her stomach. By now, the hunting party had been split into two groups; Boris leading one, and Fredrik leading the other. Much to Anna's disgust, she was in Fredrik's group. An experience she wasn't likely to enjoy. The dark forest rose high over the horizon, shielding most of the sky from view. The group dismounted their horses and entered the forest, leaving their mounts behind. The musty smell of rotting leaves filled Anna's nostrils as she walked through the tall trees. She gripped her sword tightly, as she scanned the darkness for hidden dangers. There were four other people in the group besides Anna. Fredrik was at the front; as he had to lead the hunt. Behind him, were two younger men. Anna assumed that this was also their first hunt; their tense shoulders and sharp movements being obvious signs. As well as those two, there was another slightly older man at the back of the group. Anna could only sense him as she had to keep her eyes to the front.

Suddenly, Fredrik froze. The group had reached a clearing, dimly lit by the light of the moon. In the centre of the clearing stood a Werewolf. Its sleek black fur glistened slightly in the moonlight, despite this, it was very well camouflaged. His bright, yellow eyes pierced the darkness, scanning the forest for his next victim. Its erotic breathing started to slow as it seemed to take in its surroundings; it seemed to be oblivious to five hunters surrounding it. Swiftly, the group hid in the thick bushes around the clearing. Anna stuck by Fredrik; she wasn't happy doing it, but her father had told her to and she didn't want to jeopardise any future chances to go on the hunt. The tense silence was broken by a whisper in Anna's ear.

"If the princess wants to play with the big boys, she'll have to prove her worth." Anna's heart leapt as she felt to rough hands shove her into the clearing. To Anna, the faint rustle the bush made as she stumbled sounded like a thunder clap. She stood, paralyzed by fear, as the Werewolf started to turn. Time seemed to slow as the beast drew to its full height, baring its yellowing fangs. Anna fumbled inside her holster for her gun; but instead, she found an empty space. She heard a chuckle from behind her and she wheeled around. Fredrik stood there, brandishing a gun—her gun. Anna's thoughts of rage were interrupted by a hot breath on the back of her neck. Not daring to turn round, she started to sprint; glancing around occasionally to see how much ground she was gaining. She ran blindly, jumping over odd obstacles; ignoring the immense pain she felt as thorns scratched her face. She knew the Werewolf was gaining on her. It was only a matter of time before it killed her.

Her hurried thoughts proved to be a distraction as Anna failed to see the wide log blocking her path. She tripped, falling heavily onto the hard ground beneath her. A dark shadow fell over her. She knew she had been caught.

Please review ;) You're my only motivation.


	4. Home Again

Wow! I come back and I have loads of fantastic reviews! Thanks to all of you it means so much to me. This chapter will be dedicated to Believer29 because this is the chapter we get more reactions from Anna's family which is what you suggested! I'm hoping this chapter will be of a longer length but if it's not – I'm working on it! Thanks to all you lovely reviewers! Sorry about the extremely slow update I had two powercuts and an error with submitting documents. Lol. It's all fixed now and I have this chapter for you. Enjoy!

Kate

Disclaimer- Don't own- to prove it see prologue. Although I do own Fredrik! Hehe...

**Home Again**

Anna rolled over, coming face to face with the Werewolf. She'd gone from the hunter to the hunted in a matter of seconds and it petrified her. The Werewolf's piercing eyes stared down at her; she knew then it would show her no mercy. The stench and feeling of its breath on her face was enough to make her sick. Behind the creature, Fredrik appeared, grinning in satisfaction because Anna was on the verge of death. Part of Anna's brain was telling her to get up and fight, so Fredrik wouldn't win. But most of her brain stopped her from moving; so her suffering would end quickly—and hopefully, painlessly. The savage beast drew back to its full height; huge claws out. The last thing Anna saw was its strong arm being thrown back, she couldn't' watch anymore she threw her hands over her eyes.

Two gun shots pierced the night air, followed by a blood-curdling howl. Anna clamped her eyes shut; moving her hands to her ears to block out the noise. The horrific din managed to get through the barricades her hands made; running through to her heart. Spreading fear in the places only happy memories should be kept. Silent tears began to build up behind Anna's closed eye-lids as she started begging for the noise to stop. Her whimpers, it seemed, only prolonged her suffering as the racket continued. Finally, Anna heard a muffled thump, followed by several gasps and voices. Afraid to open her eyes; she just lay there on the hard ground, shaking uncontrollably. Distant voices were calling her name, but she couldn't reply – she couldn't be sure the Werewolf wasn't still above her. Out of all the chaos, one voice stood out from the rest.

"Anna!" Velkan cried running towards her. He almost stopped—almost. The sight of her frail body; curled up in fear, was nearly too much for him. He quickly shook off these thoughts, reminding himself of his duty; the promise he had made to himself. As soon as Anna had run to him and told him that she would be going on the hunt too; he had vowed to protect her at all costs. A silent promise that only he knew of, and only he could keep.

Before he knew it, he'd reached her small form and pulled her into his arms, whispering reassuring words into her ear. Anna finally opened her eyes. A rush of relief filled her body, she was finally safe. She threw her arms around Velkan, returning his embrace. Anna let out a choked sob. The tears that had been threatening to spill; the ones she had tried to hold back, were making their way down her cheeks as all the feelings that she'd been keeping to herself in the last few minutes finally caught up with her. Velkan felt anger and insecurity as he held his sister in his arms. He finally began to realise that she wasn't as strong as he had once thought. Always, Velkan had thought of Anna as a strong, independent person – his equal rather than his little sister. But now, he saw a whole new side to her; one that he was sure she wouldn't show very often. Fair enough, Anna had just been chased and nearly killed by a Werewolf; but she was crying – she never cried. Most of all, Velkan felt angry. If he had just persuaded his father to let her come in their group. No. He should've persuaded Anna to stay at home; he should've made Anna stay at home. Now, because of him, she was petrified and possibly hurt.

"Anna? Look at me." He whispered in her ear. She moved her head slightly, and looked straight into his eyes; seeking the guidance and security she needed. Her eyes were empty; they no longer contained the spark that normally filled them. After all this time, her breathing was still ragged and slightly laboured. Velkan looked her in the eye; concerned for her welfare. "Are you hurt?" He asked. His sister shook her head slowly. Velkan stroked her cheek with his thumb; stopping dead when she winced slightly. He turned her head gently to the right, examining the small gash on the side of her face. He glanced around, looking at his father; who was talking to Fredrik. He made a mental note about speaking to him; he had to find out what happened before his group arrived. Slowly, Velkan stood up; convincing himself it wasn't good for Anna to stay on the floor. He helped her stand. Anna stood shakily, holding onto Velkan for support. She was so glad he was there for her; he was the proof that she wasn't dead. Although she was still trying to convince herself this was the case.

Anna started to take in her surroundings. They were deeper in the forest than she had thought. Most of the trees were dead and broken. There were claw marks on some of the trees and wolf fur on odd branches. The lack of moonlight gave the wood a sinister atmosphere. She gazed at the floor, eyes falling to the small man lying a few feet away. His skin was pale and he was frozen in and awkward position. The two bullet holes in his chest were leaking crimson blood. Anna knew at once that this was the Werewolf that had chased her. She felt sick knowing that he was just an ordinary man; cursed with something no-one could cure.

Velkan put a supportive arm around Anna's shoulders and led her over to their father.

"Papa, can we call everyone back to the manor. So we can find out what happened to Anna?" Boris looked down at his son and started to consider his proposal. Another voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Perhaps we should wait until morning? That way the princess gets some rest and we will have more time to discuss this…" Fredrik paused. "Terrible accident." Anna was sure she heard a slight sneer in his voice as he said those last two words. She knew that Fredrik hadn't got her welfare at heart. It was just buying him more time to come up with an excuse – a cover story. Something about this made Anna snap.

"No" Her voice rang out and everyone turned to look at her. Fredrik stared in disbelief as she advanced on him and her father. The familiar sparkle had retuned to Anna's eyes and Velkan knew she had recovered well enough from her ordeal. "I know what happened. We should go back to the manor tonight, so I can explain." Fredrik noticeably paled at this statement but had no choice but to go along with it.

"Very well princess. We shall listen to your account of what happened." With that, he marched down the path towards the horses. The rest of the group followed silently; the sombre mood of their general reflecting in their faces for very different reasons. Anna smiled at Velkan, taking his hand and leading him towards their horses.

The tense ride back to Valerious Manor seemed to take longer than ever. All Anna could do was think about how she was going to explain Fredrik trying to kill her. He was her father's best friend; surely despite this, he would believe her side to the story? She hoped he would; otherwise her chances of hunting again were very slim indeed.

The lobby of the manor was as uninviting as it always had been. The unused sword wracks added a hostile sense of doom. The hunting party walked through the house and settled in armchairs inside the first common room. Anna, Velkan and Boris were just about to join them when they ran into someone they thought they could escape from.

"What took you so long? You were out there for hours!" Helena raged looking at all three people in turn.

"We had a minor problem." Boris started. Helena stopped pacing and stared questioningly at her husband.

"Problem?" She repeated. Helena then turned to Anna, and for the first time, noticed the wound on the side of her cheek. "Anna! What happened to you?" At that point Anna felt two inches tall. Her mother was sure to blow this out of all proportion, she always did.

"I-I er, fell?" Boris steeped beside Anna, putting his arm around her.

"Helena, we were just going to discuss what happened tonight. Come with us and listen." Velkan decided this was the best decision his father had made that evening. If his mother was in the meeting with the whole hunting party, she couldn't go over the top—not with a load of men in the room. Helena nodded silently and walked ahead of the trio into the common room.

Once everyone was settled in the room, Boris addressed the men, in particular, Fredrik.

"Right, I'm sorry that I have to do this. Fredrik I need your account of what happened tonight—no interruptions." Boris looked around the room, staring everyone in the eye at least once. Fredrik rose from his chair and stood facing everyone. Boris went over to the other side of the room, facing his family.

"Well, we had just entered a clearing in the forest, the beast was there. We had all just gotten into position when Anna jumped from her hiding place and ran towards the Werewolf!" A few gasps escaped the mouths of the men in the room. Anna's face darkened. She was aware that her mother was stared at her, shocked. But she didn't care. She needed to tell people the truth. "I tried to stop her but it was too late" This was too much. Everyone in the room was staring at Fredrik, unable to belief that Anna could be so stupid. But the thing was—they were still believing his story.

"No." Anna stood up walking over to Fredrik. "That's a lie and you know it." Boris started to rise.

"Anna. I can't believe that you would do something so foolish, but to lie about it is a lot worse young lady!"

"I'm not lying!" She snapped back at her father. "I didn't jump out in front of that creature. Not after I saw what happened to Aunt Margaretta."

"Anna --" Boris started.

"I was pushed!" She almost shouted. She stared at her fathers face, waiting, hoping for some sort of reaction. Boris looked back at her; a shocked expression on his face. Anna glanced around the room, taking in the shocked expressions on people's faces. Velkan was the only one with a different tone on his face. His face was kind and understanding; someone she knew believed her. Fredrik was smirking, his shock replaced by a victorious grin. He laughed to himself.

"What exactly are you suggesting princess?" Anna wheeled around to glare at him.

"You know exactly what I'm suggesting general. You pushed me and you know it!" Fredrik managed a contained chuckle.

"The girl is delusional! What reasoning could I have to want her dead? She's crazy!" Anna had had enough. She flew at Fredrik her hand already balled into a fist. Thankfully, Velkan had seen this coming and had run over to her to hold her back. She struggled for a while hurling insults at every one and anyone who was listening. Her mother had left the room, unable to watch the unlady-like behaviour of her daughter. Finally Anna had calmed down enough to persuade Velkan to let her go. She stood, out of breath looking at Fredrik; disgust showing obviously on her face. An idea hit her and she smiled slightly. Turning to her father, Anna spoke directly at him for the first time.

"Papa, if he is so innocent in all this, search him. He shouldn't object. He has nothing to hide, right general?" Everyone turned to look at Fredrik.

"That's correct princess." Fredrik was completely relaxed and handed his jacket over to Boris who took it, reluctantly. Boris quickly rifled through the pockets. Finding something hard and metallic, he paused and pulled it out. It was a gun. The item in itself wasn't incriminating, but as he examined it further, he saw the Valerious family crest engraved on the handle. Instantly, Boris recognised the gun as the one he had given to Anna as soon as she was old enough to use one. Anna saw her chance.

"Papa, would that be my gun you're holding? The gun I couldn't find in the forest. The one I needed to kill the Werewolf with?" Boris nodded and handed the gun back to Anna, turning on Fredrik.

"Why did you have that?" He asked.

"The girl dropped it at the entrance to the woods I was going to return it to her." Fredrik had begun to look slightly uneasy. He shifted his weight from side to side, his eyes darting around the confines of the common room. Now it was Velkan's turn to speak.

"You're lying. Anna never goes anywhere without her gun and if she was going to try and kill a Werewolf on her own, she would've checked she had it with her first." Anna felt her brother's hand on her shoulder as she stared accusingly at the scared general in front of her. Several mutters could be heard around the room; everyone else having their own opinion on what had happened. Boris sighed heavily, knowing that his children were correct; and placed his hand on Fredrik's shoulder.

"You're a traitor and a disgrace to the Valerious family name. I didn't want to have to do this Fredrik but I have no choice. You will hang."

Boris had dismissed the rest of the hunters and had put Fredrik in the town stocks for the night. Velkan and Anna decided that the best place for them was in the library. Velkan sat down at the desk, reading a Latin script while Anna just stared into space thinking about the nights events. The sound of harsh voices awoke Anna from her silent state.

"No Boris, I knew she should never have gone with you. Her place is here with me. The sooner she goes to school and learns that, the better for all of us."

"I think tonight was a wake up call for her. She would stay by my side the whole time. She's coming next time and that's final Helena." Velkan, who had been listening the whole time, snapped his head back into his book as the library door opened. Helena walked in; walking towards Anna.

"Can I have a word?" Anna nodded obediently and followed her mother outside. Helena shut the door and turned to face her daughter, looking stern. Anna got the feeling the 'word' would not be along the lines of 'I'm proud of you Anna'.

"The way you acted today was absolutely despicable Anna. I have never been so embarrassed in my life! That was no way for a princess to behave. Your father is insistent that you carry on hunting with him; however I'm not so sure you can cope with it. I hope you're proud of yourself. That school ought to sort you out." Anna hung her head. She knew that she hadn't turned out the way her mother wanted her to be. She wasn't someone obsessed with finding a husband, having children and waiting on everyone hand and foot. All she wanted to do was kill Dracula and live her life the way she wanted to. Anna hated living up to her mother's expectations, because she always knew she would fall at the first hurdle. She would never be good enough for her. At least going to Velkan's school she knew no-one would know her. That's the way she intended it to stay. If no-one knew her, no-one would have to judge her.

"I'm sorry mama, I let you down." Anna had to mentally stop herself from adding _again_ onto the end of that sentence. With that, she returned to the library; hating the fact her mother got the better of her, again. She shut the heavy oak door and turned to see Velkan's head buried into his book. The cover looked slightly odd to Anna. Realising why, she smirked to herself.

"Velkan, if you're going to pretend to read; at least put your book the right way up." Velkan looked down at the upside-down cover and blushed. Anna shook her head and returned to the arm chair. Thinking about what would happen the next day, when she would start school.

Your reviews rock my world. Motivation is all I need!;D


	5. Aleera

Right chapter 4 already! I will say now that I don't have a clue how a Transylvanian school in the 1800's worked so I'm making all of this up ;D. Thanks to all of my loyal reviewers for sticking with this. This chapter is dedicated to Charmes Malheureux, jimmy-barnes-13, lost-with-jack, Ron's Sexy Girly 750 and lostsoul99. It was great to hear that all of you liked the last chapter and I'm so proud because I made it longer! Also, this point has been raised a couple of times, I will definitely be putting Dracula in the story. It won't be for a little while yet, but he'll be making more than an appearance. I fear writers block is creeping up on me. It had already struck on my fic mixed messages as those of you that read the bill fics may know. If I don't update for a while you know the reason why. I would rather wait for a while to update than update and it be absolutely rubbish, which is probably how it would turn out. Enjoy chapter 4!

**School and Aleera**

Anna was woken by bright sunlight breaking through the curtains. Today felt different, and it wasn't just because she had woken up early. She sat up, squinting in the rays of the dawn; and came face-to-face with her brother.

"Velkan! What on earth are you doing in my room!" Velkan smirked at her.

"Well I could've had you woken up by servants but Dracula drove them all away, so I had to do their job and wake you up. It's your first day at school today!" He grinned at her. Anna groaned, suddenly she remembered the downside to escaping her mother for the day.

"Ok, get out; I'll be ready in a few minutes." When Velkan didn't move, Anna grabbed her pillow and launched it at him, sending him scurrying from the room. Somehow, she managed to get up and get dressed. For once, her corset wasn't a problem; she put on her boots and snatched her switch-blade from her bedside table, hiding it inside one of them. Seizing her sword, she sheathed it and ran downstairs.

The irresistible smell of boar filled her nose as she entered the kitchen. Her mother was stood at the stove, cooking; while her father and brother were sat at the table, talking politics as usual. Anna walked up behind her father, wrapping her arms around him neck.

"Good morning Papa." She said before sitting down.

"Ah, Anna. Are you looking forward to your first day at school?" Anna just nodded before sitting down next to Velkan. Helena grasped the pan in her hand, moving it over to the table. She offered food to Boris, then Velkan, and lastly Anna. The two siblings ate quickly, before rising from the table and heading for the door. Her mother chose this time to speak.

"Anna." She froze, bracing herself for another stab in the back, before finally turning around. "Don't take your sword to school" Anna glanced down at her belt to where her sword hung. She shrugged.

"Alright Mama." Hurriedly, she followed Velkan out of the front door. As soon as they were out of earshot, Velkan turned to Anna.

"You're not going to listen to her, are you?" Anna smiled. Why should she listen to her mother? Velkan took his sword to school. She grinned before answering.

"Nope."

From the outside, the school seemed relatively small, it was dark with age and some of the windows were cracked. The courtyard was quite vast with several areas of grass. To the left, there was training area, with bars and fighting circles drawn into it. To the right, was some of the school building. Anna walked beside Velkan, taking in the view of the building. She carefully avoided eye-contact with every one of the children around her—she wasn't here to be judged. Her eyes rested on a raised block, about 3 metres long. On this block, sat three boys that Anna recognised. They often came to the manor to see Velkan and hang around with him. Velkan always invited Anna along, and the group welcomed her with open arms.

Velkan grinned as he saw his friends again. It had been way too long. He had always been considered the leader of his group, it wasn't much, but two out of the three looked up to him. The other, Ash, was his best friend. It wasn't that Artur and Dominik weren't great too, but he had known Ash for longer. Ash as the one who had introduced him to Artur and Dominik, they had all turned up at his house one summer afternoon. Anna had answered the door, sword out because they were in the middle of a sparring match. It was fair to say the other two weren't expecting to see her with a sword. Velkan was extremely close to being embarrassed by his sister that day, he didn't want his friends to think that his sister had to go everywhere with him; but they welcomed her like one of them and it had been that way ever since.

The siblings walked over to the boys and stood in front of them. Velkan went around them in turn, greeting each one of the boys separately. Anna laughed at his excitement as he sat with his gang again. Ash smiled at her and she returned it shyly.

"It's nice to see you again Ash." She said politely.

"You too Anna." He replied. "Are you intending on joining us for lunch today?" Anna looked slightly nervous.

"Oh, I don't know… You have to catch up with Velkan and I, I don't want to impose…" Ash laughed.

"You wont be imposing you fool, we love having you around; you're one of us—right boys?" Artur and Dominik nodded eagerly. Artur was a slightly chubby boy, with very round eyes. He wasn't overly athletic from what Velkan had told her, and he often finished off unwanted food within the group. Dominik, on the other hand, was extremely skinny; Anna didn't think it was humanely possible to be so thin. Despite this, he was extremely healthy; he was the son of the blacksmith, and was often seen with horses from the village. Ash was neither of these extremes. He had green eyes and messy black hair. His lean arms were enough to make any boy jealous, he spent a lot of time fighting and training—though he wasn't vain in any way. And his body…

A heavy hand landing on her shoulder snapped Anna from her dream-like state. Velkan was standing next to her, leading her somewhere.

"The bell just went Anna; I'll show you to the hall. Our classes will be mixed this year and I think I'm with you in most lessons." Anna just nodded unable to believe she was just thinking about her brother's friend like that.

The assembly hall was packed full with children in different lines. These were all older children who already knew their classes from the previous year. The steady flow of children slowly stopped and there were only around twenty people left in the room. An elderly man came into view.

"Right children, welcome to Vaseria Comprehensive. Some of you have been here already and I apologize to you; but the intake wasn't very good so we've had to merge classes." Velkan smirked at Anna and Ash.

"I wonder why that is…" Ash stifled a chuckle and turned back to the teacher on the podium.

"There will be two mixed classes which you will stay in all the time, but for some lessons girls and boys will be split." Anna rolled her eyes. _Great that's all I need; being split up from the few friends I already have_. "Without further ado, let's sort you all out. Listen for your names. Ash Nistor, Velkan Valerious, Aleera Grasu, Anna Valerious…" The list went on but Anna didn't bother to listen. She was in the same class as Ash and Velkan and that was enough for her. She, Ash and Velkan walked over to the rest of their class; not bothering to greet anyone. They were all Anna's age and most of them were girls; only a quarter were boys at a rough guess.

Anna was just beginning to realise how different she looked from the rest of the girls. All of them were wearing a dress of some description; many had a lace trim much to Anna's disgust. Also, their shoes were extremely small and clean. Anna looked down at her black boots, saw how much mud remained from the Werewolf hunt. She now noticed that she was being stared at by all the girls in her class, they were either really interested, or really disgusted by her clothes. Anna had to admit, she looked like a boy, but that's the way she liked it. _Well, I could always threaten them with my sword._ She thought to herself. At that moment, Velkan whispered something in her ear, along the lines of 'At times like these I want to draw my sword and cut Mr Hankov's braces' Anna tried to stifle her laughter, but took one look at Ash, who had also heard, and couldn't contain herself any longer. The pair cracked up, sending their laughter echoing down the corridor as they walked to their first class.

Anna stood outside the classroom door, waiting impatiently for Velkan and Ash to come out. Apparently, the boys were always dismissed before the girls because of some sort of rule, but on this occasion, they had been kept behind for a little chat about work or something. She hadn't really paid much attention to that; she was more concerned with getting out to break with them. Being so engrossed in her thoughts, she didn't notice two girls stand in front of her.

"Waiting for your boyfriend are you?" The first one said. Anna looked up, confused.

"What?" The second girl rolled her eyes.

"Velkan Valerious" She said, as though she couldn't have been talking about anyone else.

"I don't--" Anna began again, only to be cut off.

"Though, I don't know why he'd choose you. Look at you, you're wearing trousers and you have a sword." _And I'll use it in a minute_. Anna thought. She stood up to her full height looking down slightly on the two girls in front of her.

"Velkan isn't interested in girls. He has other things to worry about. And he's not my boyfriend either." The girls looked at each other—shocked. "He's by brother."

Just then, Velkan and Ash emerged from the classroom, rolling their eyes. Velkan smirked as he saw his sister with the two girls.

"Are you ready to go Anna?" She nodded, pushing through the middle of the girls to stand beside Velkan. As they began to walk down the stairs, Velkan looked questioningly at her.

"Next time someone says I'm your girlfriend, I'll kick them into next week." Velkan laughed as he put his arm around her.

Break was one of the best times for Anna. She sat on the stone block with the gang, leaning against the wall of the school. The sun had decided to make an appearance; so most people were outside enjoying it. Ash got up, deciding he wanted to get something to eat. He asked around, seeing if he needed anything else while he was up. Running over to the counter, he picked up some fruit and brought it back.

"Anna" He held up an apple and threw it to her. She caught it in one hand, nodding her thanks. Anna listened intently to the boy's conversation about their next class—combat. Unfortunately it was a split class and she would have to sit through an hour of torture, otherwise known as needlework. Her mother had tried to teach her needlework when she was younger, but she ended up wanting to stick the needle in her mother, rather than in the material. Somehow, Anna thought that she'd end up thinking the same thing about her teacher. Her thoughts then turned to her sparring with Velkan, her father had commented on how much she'd benefit from lessons in combat. Maybe, just maybe, she could persuade him to request a class transfer…

"So, Anna," Artur started. "You're a girl right?" Ash whacked him round the head.

"Smooth Artur, really smooth. Excuse him Anna he has no manners." Ash looked meaningfully at Artur when he said the last two words. Anna laughed at Artur's bluntness. Dominik spoke up.

"What were you trying to ask Artur?" He said rolling his eyes.

"I was trying to ask if she had any friends in her next class." Anna felt all eyes on her, awaiting her answer.

"Oh, er…" Velkan interrupted, sensing her reluctance to answer.

"It takes a bit of time but I know the history between you and sewing Anna—that teacher wont last five minutes if that was anything to go by." Ana shook her head, trust Velkan to exaggerate.

"I wasn't that bad, the servant had it coming. She _sat_ on the needle." Anna emphasised

"That was sticking out of the material _you_ put on her chair." Velkan retorted.

"Alright, it was intentional. You would've done it too if you were being told that you weren't trying, when you knew you were making no effort at all." She shrugged at the rest of the group who were all laughing.

"Though, you know what'll happen if Mama finds out you weren't trying to be a 'good future wife'" Velkan smirked at Anna.

"Well Mama won't find out I wasn't trying because you aren't going to tell her." Anna smiled sweetly at her brother, knowing he wouldn't tell. The group quietly carried on their conversation, making jokes and doing impressions of teachers. Anna glanced around the playground. In one corner, were a bunch of girls from her class looking over at her group and no doubt gossiping about the boys. Velkan often got girls crowding around him and asking him for dates. In another corner of the courtyard was a girl. She was stood against a wall looking at Anna. The two girls made eye-contact and much to Anna's surprise, the girl started to walk over to her. She had long, ginger hair and was wearing a simple green dress and white pinafore with no lace. The girl stopped in front of Anna and spoke directly at her.

"You're Anna, right?"

"Yes…" Was all Anna could come up with.

"Are you in needlework later?" She asked, looking slightly wary of the boys staring at her.

"Yes I am. But I'm not looking forward to it." She smiled at the girl seeing her discomfort.

"Can I sit next to you? It's just I don't know anyone here and you don't look like you want to sit with those girls over there…" Anna smirked.

"Yeah that would be good." The other girl started to walk away. "Hey, what's your name?" Anna shouted after her. The girl turned around.

"Aleera." The girl replied, before going into the school. Anna turned back to the boys who were all beaming at her. Artur spoke again.

"Well, that answers my question about friends in your next class…" Anna laughed. At least she knew that in her next class she had someone to talk to. Even if she wasn't going to sew, she could talk. Anna smiled to herself knowing she had made a friend. Her first true friend she made at school—Aleera.

I know boys and girls would probably have been split for all lessons but I didn't want that to happen so I changed it ;)That's the beauty of fanfic. Also, I didn't know what to name the school and I know comprehensive is probably the last thing it would've been called (if it had a name) but it was the first thing that came to me so I had to put up with it. That's all for now. I hate this chapter but still… Please review guys it may help clear the beginning of my writers block ;) Go on, you know you want to…


	6. Watch the rain

**Hello again people! In a desperate attempt to rid myself of writers block, I took time to write a 3 parter on the lost hosting, and I know a few of you read it, so thanks for that! It got nine reviews and it got rid of my writers block, it was genius! Lol, not quite. Now for the brief explanation of why and how Aleera is in this story.**

**Aleera in my fic isn't a vampire and she is the same age as Anna. She doesn't know Dracula personally and she is just a normal girl. OK? I hope so… Lol. **

**I can't say much more without spoiling anything. So you might just have to bear with me and carry on reading! Lol. Anyways, on with the show. Or the story…Whatever. This chapter is for fly me to the stars. I'm a bit behind with dedis at the moment and I'm dedicating like two chapters after the review! But never mind, if I've left anyone out, please let me know! I didn't think that there would be a bell on a timer at her school because that is too modern, but I had an assistant that rang a hand bell at my primary school (they are still in the dark ages) and I thought it'd be a good idea for this fic. **

**Watch the rain**

The bell master came out onto the courtyard and began to ring the brass hand bell signalling the end of break. Artur and Dominik ran off excitedly towards the training area, whilst Ash and Velkan were kind enough to show Anna to her classroom. A hand-full of girls were already seated in the small room, but Anna couldn't see Aleera anywhere so she picked the table right at the back of the room, away from the rest of the girls. She walked silently to the table and sat down on the wooden chair, sitting back in her seat. Her eyes rested on the door; keeping a look-out for Aleera. Even in a room full of people; Anna couldn't help but feel alone. Anna was fully aware that all the other girls in the room were pointing and staring at her, but she wasn't overly interested in what they were saying…was she? Still keeping her eye on the door, Anna tuned her ears into the girls' conversation; trying to make out what they were saying. She managed to catch the word Velkan at one point; but that was all. Anna smiled to herself, figuring that they were talking about how 'cute' her brother was. That was something she'd have to tease him about later. Her train of thought was interrupted by the scrape of the chair next to her on the stone floor. She looked up; and found herself looking into the eyes of Aleera who was beaming at her.

"I hope you don't mind me sitting here…" She said.

"Oh, no…" Anna replied. "It's good to have some company; I hate needlework so I'd rather talk. It might keep me distracted long enough to prevent me from killing the teacher." Anna smiled as she saw Aleera stifle a laugh. While Anna had been lost in thought, she had realised, a lot more girls had come into the room. The class was now completely full and the lesson was about to start.

A stern looking teacher came into the room, her pinch face reminded Anna of one of Dracula's old brides—one that her father had killed. Not that she would tell her that unless she really had to… The thin framed glasses that she wore sat on the bridge of her nose so close to the end, that Anna wasn't sure how they stayed in place. She wore a big black dress and a black lace scarf draped across her head. She saw Aleera glance at her as if to say _What are we in for? _All Anna could do was shrug her shoulders as the teacher reached the front of the room. Anna's heart skipped a beat; she wondered what on earth possessed the school to employ such a woman. The teacher turned on her heel and addressed the class.

"Right girls, my name is Mrs Cussack. I'm here to turn you all into ladies so that in the future, you will be able to find husbands." Anna swallowed a snort and let Mrs Cussack continue. "In today's lesson we will be talking about needlework and which stitches you can use on clothes. For example, you, stand." Mrs Cussack grabbed a cane from her desk and pointed it at someone. Anna's heart jumped as she realised she was pointing at her. Reluctantly, she stood, looking Mrs Cussack straight in the eye. "Name" She demanded.

"Anna." Anna started and before she could get any further, she was interrupted.

"Anna what?" Anna did her best not to lose her temper as she continued her sentence.

"Valerious. Anna Valerious." She said through gritted teeth.

"That's a lot better Miss Valerious. Now, what material is your…" She paused. Looking perplexed when she realised that Anna wasn't wearing what she was expecting a princess to wear. "…are your trousers made of?" Anna looked down to consider the question.

"I'm not sure…some sort of thick, strong material?" She guessed.

"Correct! You can sit down now. To mend something like that, you'd need a strong thread…like--"

"But if they're a strong material, why would you need to fix them? It's unlikely they would tear." One of the girls at the front of the room spoke up. Mrs Cussack looked a little unsure; so Anna decided to have a little fun.

"It depends on what's chasing you at the time." Anna started. Most of the girls turned to the back, to face her.

"What do you mean by that?" Another girl asked.

"Well…" Anna continued. "If you have a Werewolf after you, there's more chance it will tear the material than if you got attacked by something else." Anna retorted, coolly. Most of the girls gasped and started whispering to themselves. Soon enough, Mrs Cussack intervened.

"Yes, thank you Anna. Now then…" Anna didn't listen to much more; her eyes had fallen on the wide window to her left. The view out of it was amazing. Luckily for her, it looked out on the training area. She could see several boys Velkan's age, all sitting on a wooden bench; listening to an old man. He was quite short, Anna recognised him as someone who came to collect swords regularly from the village. She remembered Velkan telling her that he knew their father, and that they used to go to school together. In his right hand, he was holding a wooden training sword, used for beginners to start training with. In the other hand, he held another sword. Anna guessed that this was a lighter metal sword. It would be a lot lighter compared to hers and Velkan's swords, which were full weight. She sighed to herself, wishing she could be out there practising with them. Anna put her elbow on the desk and rested her hand on it. She laughed silently to herself as she watched Artur get tripped by Velkan. He stood infuriated as the other three boys laughed. Ash gave Velkan a pat on the back and all the boys outside stood up. The teacher had obviously told them to start sparring because the boys were all paired off, and in the starting position. This would be interesting…

"Miss Valerious!" Anna's head snapped up as she heard her name being called. She saw that all the other girls were at work on some stitching. Mrs Cussack was stood over her with hands on her hips; waiting for some sort of explanation. "I hate to disturb you from watching the sparring match, but you have some sewing to get done! Now get to it. You may be a princess; but that doesn't give you an excuse to slack in my lessons!" Anna glared at her, picking up the needle and thread from her desk. She sat back in her seat; and began to stick the needle ruthlessly into the matted material she as given; imagining it was Mrs Cussack.

-------

Some time later, Anna saw the bell master stand between the training area and the classroom and ring the bell signalling the end of the day. She didn't wait to see if Mrs Cussack wanted to talk with her or not and sprinted over to the training ground. Anna met up with Ash, Velkan and the boys and they began to walk towards the school gate. The clouds in the sky had started to block out the sun and Anna realised that she and Velkan had to hurry home; just in case the vampires wanted to 'come out and play' as Marishka put it last time they fed at the village. The group knew it was a long while ago since that day and deep down, they knew a vampire attack was about due… Dominik broke the uneasy silence.

"So, guys, do you want to come to the village to my father's shop? I'm sure there are some horses that need taking back if you want to help?" Ash rolled his eyes at Velkan and Anna.

"What Dominik means to say is we'll be doing that some other time, and we'll be seeing you two tomorrow." As Velkan and Anna walked away, they both saw Ash hit Dominik over the back of the head, pointing up at the dark sky. Ash had always been the most aware of the Valerious' situation and was willing to help any way possible. And this case wasn't any different. The trouble was making the other two remember the information. They had explained over and over again to Artur and Dominik, every time they thought it had sunk in, they said something to prove them wrong.

Anna and Velkan raced home; entering the front door just before the rain started to pour down. Their parents, it seemed, had already eaten; so Anna and Velkan found the food left for them and quickly ate; not making a sound. Velkan then went straight up to the library, to focus on the Latin script he had been given to read for his English lesson the next day; whilst Anna set about finding her father. Anna found Boris standing by the balcony doors, watching the rain fall steadily outside. She stepped cautiously into the room, her heels clicking on the hard floor. Stopping next to her father; she observed the rain; hoping he would speak first.

"Hello my dear; how was your first day?" Anna smiled up at him.

"It was alright I suppose…Most of the classes were good." She said, her attention turning back to the window. Boris looked down at Anna, an amused smile tugging at his lips.

"Most?" He asked.

"All but needlework. I'd much rather have been with Velkan in combat training." Anna sighed; this was the point where her father says _you need to give it time Anna, you will grow to like it. _That was what she was expecting to come. But it didn't.

"Can I let you into a little secret Anna?" Anna looked up at her father, her brow furrowed. "I would rather you did combat training too. You will need to know how to protect yourself in the future, because I won't be around forever. And the teacher at that school can teach you more than I ever could." Anna looked down.

"But I want you to be around forever. If it means giving up combat classes to keep you here with me, I'd do it Papa. I really would!" Boris chuckled to himself.

"I know you would my dear, but everyone must die someday, and you know, we must look on the brighter side of death." Anna frowned.

"There's a brighter side of death?" She asked quietly. Boris smiled down at his daughter, bringing a hand to rest on her shoulder.

"Of course Anna, it's just much harder to see." Anna nodded, wrapping her arms around Boris' waist.

"I love you Papa, you know that, don't you?" Boris put a hand through Anna's hair lovingly.

"Yes Anna, I know." The two stood there in silence, watching the rain; not thinking about anything but the day gone by. Anna was content with being with her father for the night, her mother was not around for the moment; and she was content with that. She did love her mother—very much, but she got the feeling that although she had two children; Helena only loved one of them. Velkan was going to be a strong, brave, prince when he was older but Anna, she was going to be just as strong, and just as brave. For a princess, that wasn't right. Anna knew this would never be acceptable for her mother but, she still had her father and she knew no matter what, he would love her she was. Even in death.

**That was chapter 5! I know that the last part of this was quite soft and mushy and I apologise but I really couldn't help myself. Anna will be toughening up in the next few chapters I promise! I like this chapter more than the last one but I think that this was written too soon after my writers block so it might be a bit rubbish… I don't know if glasses were worn in that time and I couldn't find out, but they're available to everyone in this story. **

**Well guys, I go back to school tomorrow so this fic will be updated less often :sigh: However, I WILL NOT GIVE UP ON IT! Not in a million years! It might take that long to get it written but hey! You guys'll stick with me right? All I'm saying really is I wont be updating once a week, but it wont be as little as once a month I'll make sure of it! Please review because it spurs on my writing, I may need a few good reviews to perk up my revision-ridden days :( **

**For my fellow lost fanfic readers/reviewers—I have 2 more lost stories in the works right now but I have decided what with school and the like, not to start posting them until this fic is nearly finished. That way, I don't have to neglect anything! The fics are worth waiting for though, I guarantee it!**


	7. Combat

Ok guys, before you kill me I want to apologise for not updating. As soon as I dug myself out of my pile of homework for the week, I found two more pieces I needed to do sooo I didn't have time to write. I was really bored and would much rather have been writing this chapter but hey, life goes on. As always thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, you guys are officially the coolest people ever! Lol. This chapter will be quite short because I've had half of it written for a very long time and I think it's best that I start chapter 7 as I got stuck with inspiration for the end of this chapter. I will make chapter 7 a very long chapter to make up for the loss in this one. Enjoy chapter six people!

**Combat**

Anna walked to school the next day with a spring in her step. Velkan was dying to ask why; but didn't want to be the one to ruin her very good mood. It wasn't every day Anna was so happy; in fact, today she had a really good reason to be sad. She had double needlework in the afternoon. Even when they had arrived at school and were sitting in their group on the courtyard; she still hadn't said one word. The boys were sitting in silence, trying to work out why on earth she was so cheerful. Velkan drummed his fingers on the cool stone floor; something which normally sparked some sort of reaction from Anna; but not today. Sighing defeated, Velkan finally spoke.

"Ok I've had enough. Why are you in such a good mood? It's not normal!" Anna grinned at him.

"I spoke to Papa last night." She said; hoping they would leave her alone. Registering the blank looks on the gangs' faces, she knew that this wouldn't happen.

"And…" Velkan pushed. Anna gave an exasperated sigh.

"And… he gave me permission to do combat with you guys from now on." Velkan nodded, dismissing the announcement for a minute, before finally realising what Anna had said. He turned to look at her.

"Really?" Anna nodded. "Wow! That's great. At last I can try and beat you in front of an audience!" Anna laughed at this. Every time they sparred in public; she had won. It was only in private, that Velkan had beaten her.

"That won't happen Velkan and you know it! We all know that I'm better with a sword than you." She said with a smirk. They always managed to get into this argument; it was probably a brother and sister thing. But whenever it started; it barely stopped all day. They were still talking about it when combat class came around that afternoon…

"Now we can resolve this once and for all" Velkan said, as they walked towards the training area. Ash and the other two boys were already seated in the courtyard, but Velkan had gone to do an errand for a teacher and Anna had agreed, somewhat reluctantly, to come with him. All Anna wanted to do was run into the courtyard and spar with the nearest person. She was so scared that everything was a dream; that her father hadn't agreed to let her come to combat, so she wanted to get started and prove herself wrong. This was real, and she was going to believe it.

There were only a handful of boys sitting in the combat area; the teacher was ready to begin so Anna thought that this was everybody in the class. She sat down on the rickety bench between Velkan and Ash, hoping that this would be a practical lesson. The teacher—Mr. Cardei – started to talk about the technique they would be learning over the next few lessons, one that Anna and Velkan already knew well. He introduced the concept of honourable sparring, bowing before you begin etc. Anna wished that was how it worked when you battled Vampires. The lesson was going quite well and Anna was practically boiling with excitement when the time came to start sparring. Mr Cardei decided he was going to pair everybody off. Ash was put with Velkan, Dominik with Artur and finally, Anna was put with someone called Petre. He stood up scowling, glaring in her direction.

"What're you looking at?" Anna challenged, rising from the bench.

"A weak opponent by the looks of things." Petre retorted, never averting his gaze. Anna laughed airily; shaking her head.

"Then I suggest you buy glasses." She smirked up at him, drawing her sword. She stood in her starting position; almost daring him to bow first. Knowing it was never going to happen; she decided to go first, as Mr Cardei was now watching her. She bent her body at the waist, enjoying the feel of the adrenaline-filled blood flowing to her head as her hair collapsed around her face. The sound of feet falling quickly on the cobbled floor caught her attention; with her limited vision, she saw Petre's pair of black boots running towards her, getting closer and closer. Thinking fast, Anna brought her self upright, bringing her sword into a swift block. Almost instantly the metal of her sword collided with Petre's sending a weak vibration through her arms. She gasped, as Petre started a swift attack swinging his sword violently in all directions. Frantically; Anna blocked all the swings that she could hoping that he would slip up sometime. Already she was out of breath as she realised that all the other boys had stopped to watch her. She knew already that this was more than a classroom lesson, if she carried on like this, she wouldn't survive very long. Anna remembered something Velkan had taught her one rainy day, always keep a cool head. With this thought in mind, Anna calmed down the fight considerably, waiting for Petre to make his mistake. Fortunately for her, this happened sooner than she had expected. Petre took a particularly vicious swing with his right arm, which Anna dodged. As a result, he was thrown off balance and he stumbled slightly, this gave Anna the much needed room to manoeuvre. She swung violently, aiming all the force of her attack at the end of Petre's sword. The sheer strength of the blow threw the sword from Petre's hand. It spiralled along the floor and landed by Anna's feet. Petre was now on the floor breathing heavily. Anna picked up his sword and walked calmly over to the frightened boy; her small frame seemed quite menacing in the situation. She flipped his sword in the air, catching it by the blade; offering the handle to him. He looked questioningly up at her.

"You're giving me my sword back?" he asked, confused by her gesture. She nodded.

"Yes, I don't believe in unfair fighting, I was taught that from a very young age." Anna smiled over at Velkan, remembering the lesson her father had taught her.

"_So why can't you just take both swords and fight like that? Then you'd have the advantage." Eight-year-old Anna asked her father. _

"_That would not be fair Anna, sparring is about honour not winning any way you can." Boris chuckled at the confused look on his daughter's face. "Look Anna, you do not spar with Velkan because you want to kill him do you?" Anna shook her head. "That's the only time you can use any means to win—if your opponent wanted you dead or the other way round. Do you understand now?" Anna nodded slowly. _

"_So we have to fight fairly otherwise it isn't honourable?" Boris smiled. _

"_Yes my dear, that's right." _

The harsh peal of the bell woke Anna from the distant memory. Petre was now standing up, looking to the floor as Mr Cardei told him off for not obeying the basic rules of the combat class. Everyone had gone into the common room except for Velkan, who Anna saw, was waiting for her. At that moment, the clouds began to cover the sun and a strong sense of danger filled the air. 3 shadows moved across the sky menacingly and Anna watched as Mr Cardei ushered most of the pupils inside; with a scared expression on his face. Velkan stood next to her and they both wheeled around, coming face-to-face with their worst nightmare.

Surprise! Lol. Ok, the cliffie was just a nice end to the chapter, I'm already working on chapter 7 so there shouldn't be too much of a delay in updating. This chapter sucked but I promise I'll make the next one ten times better, I won't have rounding decimals questions stuck in my head when I write it ;) I was going to use the name Marius for the boy Anna was against in the lesson, but it reminded me of Les Miserables so I decided against it. I love to hear your opinions on this it makes it easier to write chapters. So can you please press that little button at the bottom of the screen, go on, you know you want to…


	8. Vampires

Hello readers. I told you there wouldn't be much time between updates, I'm quite proud of myself. I have to apologise for the last chapter, even if it was a slight filler, it was rubbishly set out, written and worded. I'm quite proud of this chapter and I hope it's miles better than the last. Because it's certainly longer! I hope you guys all enjoy this chapter, which is chapter 7 ;)

**Vampires**

Anna snapped her gaze to the floor, blinking back the worries filling her head. Silently praying that what she had just seen was just a trick of the light. It was only when she heard Velkan's uneasy breaths from next to her; that she realised that she hadn't been seeing things.

A slow, monotonous chuckle rang out across the vast training ground, sending shivers up Anna's spine. Cursing under her breath, she began to raise her head; grasping Velkan's hand tightly in her own. She looked towards the high wall directly in front of her, laying her eyes on the three people she hated most in the world. In Anna's mind they were the cause and end of all the trouble in Vaseria over the past lifetime and she hated to think of why they were confronting her, in school of all places. Her face darkened considerably as she studied the figures of Verona, Marishka and, worst of all, Count Dracula.

"Prince Velkan, Princess Anna, what a pleasant surprise. If I had known that you would be joining me for a…" The count paused. "Bite…then I might've dressed up a little." The count smiled evilly, his smooth voice adding to the already tense atmosphere. He took several calm steps towards Anna, looking her directly in the eye. When he was within close range, he brought a hand to her face. Anna drew back at his touch, gasping at the coldness of his hand. Fear began to take over her body and she found herself loosing all sense of logic. She began to breathe rapidly, her terror freezing her to the spot. Velkan took an uneasy step towards Dracula, trying to turn his attention away from Anna. The count took away his hand.

"What a pity you were born into the Valerious family, if you weren't; you wouldn't have to play this little game." he walked away, retaking his place by his two brides. "Marishka, Verona, get them." The two brides smiled at each other before swooping down from the top of the wall, transforming into their bat-like exteriors. Anna shared a frantic look with Velkan, before turning on her heel, and running.

She had always known Velkan was a faster runner than her, but until now, she didn't realise how vital it had proven to be. Within seconds, Marishka had grabbed Anna from behind, lifting her into the air. Shouting in surprise, Anna had no time to react. She just hung from Marishka's grasp, arms flailing blindly as she searched for a release. Remembering the switch-blade in her boot, Anna reached down awkwardly; pulling out her lifeline. Anna put all her weight behind the blade as she plunged it into Marishka's foot. Marishka, who hadn't seen this coming, cried out in pain and dropped Anna hastily. Daring to look down at where she would land, Anna saw that it was, in fact, an old Willow tree, void of all its leaves. Several branches snapped because of the force in which she landed on them; but finally one held out—just. From her look-out, she saw Velkan still running from Verona. By the looks of things she had tried several times to grab Velkan, to no avail. Seeing how close Velkan was to her, Anna formed a plan in her mind. She waited a couple of seconds; just until Velkan ran under her. Verona soon followed—this is when Anna struck. She leapt from the branch she was sitting on; onto Verona's back. The Vampire screeched with rage, trying desperately to throw Anna from her. Anna held on persistently, steering Verona by her wings. The Vampire was powerless, and she knew it. There was nowhere for her to land; so she couldn't change back to her semi-human form.

Velkan watched astounded as Anna steered Verona over the school building. He couldn't see much from where he was standing, but he was trying not to be noticed by Marishka. Dracula, he noted, was standing in exactly the same place as before, watching the fiasco unfold before him. Velkan didn't know what Anna was doing. For all he knew, she could've jumped on Verona's back with no plan, and no back-up plan. Velkan was so worried about Anna, he heard Marishka's cackles later than he should've done. Seeing her flying towards him, he set out at full sprint; looking behind him occasionally to see how much progress Marishka was making on him. Facing forward; he gazed in horror at the site infront of him. He was faced with a wall. Unfortunately, it wasn't one of those walls that was likely to collapse any time soon, although this is what Velkan needed right now, it was a solid brick wall; full of swords.

"I think it's about time I forgot about fighting honourably." He stated, grabbing a training sword, in the hand not holding his own. Throwing caution to the wind, he turned around and ran back the other way, straight towards Marishka.

The wind whipped at Anna's face as Verona started to fly faster and faster. Being a Vampire, she was used to flying at such speeds, unlike Anna, who wasn't even used to flying. Straight ahead, Anna could see a steeple—just what she needed. The church was quite small, but outside it, was a fountain filled with Holy water. Steering slightly, she grinned, waiting until she was extremely close to the church fountain. When she was within touching distance of the church, Anna jumped off of Verona's back. This didn't give Verona any time to veer away from the fountain; and she crashed into it, falling directly into the pool of holy water.

Velkan ran continually, not daring to think about what he was about to do, he was getting closer and closer to Marishka and she knew it. She shrieked in triumph quickening her pace. Suddenly, she stopped dead in her path, gasping and clutching her stomach. From behind Marishka, Velkan could see Verona standing in the fountain of holy water beside the training ground; eyes wide with shock. A couple of seconds later, she crumbled to dust.

"Verona!" Marishka screeched, she began to twist at an extremely fast pace, turning into a mini-tornado; eventually spiralling out of sight. Velkan saw that Dracula had also disappeared. He looked to Anna, who seemed to be a little surprised as she turned to face him. He dropped both his swords on the floor as he realised what Anna had done. Grinning, she ran and hugged him tightly; laughing deliriously at the thought of Verona being gone for good.

"I killed her. I actually killed her!" Out of the corner of his eye, Velkan sees his father standing on the edge of the training ground, examining where Verona had perished. Anna followed Velkan's line of sight, also spotting her father. Boris looked towards his children, smiling to himself. He ran towards them; hugging them both tightly. The sun emerged from behind the clouds, illuminating the scene of disarray that was the courtyard. Anna walked calmly over to the base of the Willow tree, and picked up her sheathed sword, which must've fallen from her waist during the chaos of the fight. She then went to stand by her father. Boris took the hands of his children; looking at each of them.

"We must go home; we have some planning to do." With that, Boris led his children towards the school gates, and home; to where they would face the inquisition that was Helena.

I'm hoping that there are many people with opinions on that chapter, I'd love to hear from you, even it is a simple wow or, it was horrible ;) Finally I just want to say…I LOVE MY REVIEWERS! Lol it had to be said. I have shouted it from my bedroom window before now so I think I should say it on here. Until next update.

Kate x


	9. Helena

Hi again everyone. I nearly screamed the other day because I saw my hits had been going down every chapter, but I'm happy to say they're on the rise and I hope they stay like that. I'm sorry I haven't updated but I had 8 pieces of Homework over the weekend so I couldn't write anything! But never fear because I have the next chapter for you, and I'm hoping it's OK. Enjoy!

**Helena**

Boris closed the heavy oak door behind them and entered the manor. Sighing, he hung his sword up on the wall and began to walk down the long corridor towards the library. Velkan and Anna looked at each other questioningly; before following their father to wherever he was going. The soft thud of footsteps stopped them in their tracks and their mother came into view, panting, as she had been running down the steps.

"What happened? Did you find them?" She stared at Boris, frantic with worry. Her eyes went past Boris, finally landing on the two children. "Thank heavens you're alright." She exclaimed, running up and giving Velkan a hug. "I was so worried about you!" Anna sighed and just walked straight past her mother into the library. She slipped into an armchair, letting the soft material cool her extremely bad mood down. Despite being attacked by Dracula, she was in quite a good mood coming home, until that is, she stepped through the front door. Speaking of doors, she half wished her mother would try and walk through the one in the library, that way she could slam it in her face. Stop it Anna, at least try to be civil, she is your mother. Civil, why should she be civil, her mother wasn't making an effort, so why should she? A loud shriek echoed through the corridor and Helena, followed by Velkan, joined Anna and Boris in the library.

"You killed Verona?" Helena fumed rounding on Anna.

"Yes I killed Verona, it was about time that undead bride turned to dust." Anna smiled slightly in her attempt to lighten the mood of the conversation. It didn't work.

"You killed one of Dracula's brides! Goodness knows what will happen now! Of all the careless things to do Anna this one really beats them all!" Helena ranted, her rage taking over her. Anna stood up, blinded by fury.

"She was going to kill Velkan!" She interrupted, finally finding her voice. "And she came quite close to doing it." Helena's mouth closed promptly; she decided it would be best to back down for once. She ran over to Velkan and Anna and hugged them both.

"I know Anna, I'm sorry. I'm just so pleased you're both alright" Anna knew full well that she really meant Velkan, but she kept quiet, for fear of ruining the moment. Boris smiled and exited the room; happy to leave in the knowledge that his family were actually getting along for once.

"So Anna, did you bring home any needlework that needed finishing off? I-I could help you…if you like…" Anna was sat in an armchair by the fire in her bedroom, just watching it. She had heard her mother enter the room; but she thought that she should just stay quiet, just in case her mother wasn't in a good mood. Instead of going straight out of the room; Helena had stayed, in an attempt to bond a bit more with her daughter. She still thought it was a pointless idea. After all, you bond with a baby when it is born, not a thirteen year-old girl. Still, she would try; she had already nearly lost her son that day. And in a way, she was trying to get back her daughter as Helena feared she had lost her long ago. For the first time since what seemed like forever, Anna smiled back at her mother and motioned for her to sit down. The soft light of the fire illuminated her mothers facial features; in particular—her eyes. Anna found you could tell a lot about a person by their eyes; what they were thinking, maybe even some of their personality. Normally when Anna looked into her mother's eyes she saw, disappointment, and sometimes even shame. But not now. Now she saw kindness, regret, and—no, could that be… love? Anna wondered if it was just a cruel mind trick, caused by the light of the fire; she thought she was only seeing what she so longed to see from her mother; what she could never have. She stared at the fire for a couple more seconds; before looking back into those rich brown eyes again. Much to Anna's relief and surprise, she still saw love in her mother's eyes and this caused her to smile further. She contemplated whether to get one of the unfinished pieces of needlework from the draw and pretend it was hers from school. But that would be lying. If her mother was going to start again with her, then she might as well start again with her mother; no lies, no secrets—ever again.

"Actually Mama, I have a confession to make about that…" Anna stared down at her hands, inspecting them before turning them over and looking at the other side.

"Oh…?" Her mother said. "And what is that my dear?" My dear…She'd never been called that by anyone but her father, or at least she didn't think she had. But coming from her mother it sounded so good; so right. She sighed deeply before continuing.

"I didn't go to needlework today…I went to combat with Velkan, that's why I was there when the Vampires attacked." A stunned silence fell over the two women. Anna understood that Helena was still processing the information, and would probably completely lose her cool shortly. She thought it was best to leave her father's part in the story out—she didn't want to cause problems between her parents.

"Oh, Anna…did you really loathe it that much?" Her mother's voice was soft, caring. Anna didn't really understand why she wasn't shouting. So she just nodded and looked down to the floor. "I am so sorry…" Helena spoke again, her voice full of raw emotion. Anna looked up questioningly. "I've been so unfair towards you; I know that Anna, I really do. I was so cold, always wanting you to be something you're clearly not ever going to be…" She trailed off; Anna looked at the floor once more, willing the tears that she had held back for so long to stay in for a little longer. She had always known her mother was disappointed in her, but she had just blocked it out and gotten on with her life; like it didn't matter. Because she had something to prove; she was still as good as her mother wanted her to be.

"No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I won't ever be who you want me to be. I'm sorry that I'm not the daughter that you wanted. I…" Helena shook her head.

"No! Anna, listen to me. I'm sorry that I wanted you to be who you're not. But I love you, what you did today shows your true courage, and skill. I'm so proud of you; I just wish I'd told you sooner instead of telling you to change." She moved across the room and knelt in front of her daughter; putting her hand against her cheek. "Can you ever forgive me?" She asked. Anna simply nodded, throwing herself into her mother's arms. She didn't try to stop her tears this time; she just allowed them to fall down over her cheeks.

"I love you Mama." Anna whispered, knowing full well that this wasn't a one-off moment between them. Things could only get better.

**Well folks, that's the next chapter done. I'm actually proud of this chapter; I'm not bashing my own fic for once! Now you're all going to tell me you hate it aren't you? I hope not…but we'll see…**

**I know most of you hate Helena with a vengeance but she had to make up with Anna for being unreasonable. Otherwise my story is screwed. Please press the little button old and new reviewers, You're my motivation, can't say that enough!**


	10. Friends

Hello loyal readers! And anyone else who's reading this now. This will be the first chapter of my double update, because this is only a filler chapter and not a very good one at that. This is dedicated to my new reviewer Vicky, because, well she reviewed and I couldn't reply because I don't like giving my e-mail address out. So Vicky, this one's for you.

"Hey Anna! Come and sit down!" Velkan was beckoning to her from across the courtyard. Anna shook her head at him.

"Not today Velkan, I'm going to sit with Aleera." Velkan just rolled his eyes and nodded at her. The girls walked arm in arm around the yard chatting merrily about nothing in particular.

"So, what's your brother like to live with then?" Aleera asked Anna. She made a weird face back and answered.

"Not too bad, though I'm not quite sure why you'd want to know that…" She trailed off. Aleera had gone a very deep crimson and was trying to hide it. "You…like him don't you." Anna grinned at her friend's clear embarrassment. Aleera only nodded; making Anna laugh softly. Aleera looked at her defiantly.

"What's so funny?" Anna tried to pull herself together.

"I know quite a few girls who like my brother; I never took you as someone who would…" Her friend just shrugged and they carried on walking.

"So…" Aleera fished. "You killed one of _his_ brides I hear. How did you manage that one?" The girls sat down on a stone wall by the dining area and Anna began to explain.

"I don't really know how I did it, but all I knew was that she was going to kill Velkan if I didn't do something. So I did something. But it worked out in the end because now Mama has made up with me." Aleera nodded.

"I did overhear Velkan saying about you and your mother sorting things out. It's really good news." Smirking, Anna decided to tease her friend some more.

"So now you're spying on my brother are you? You should be ashamed of yourself!" She said, laughing at Aleera's protests.

"I'm not spying! I just happened to be there at the right time that's all…"

"So that's what they're calling it these days. 'Sorry Dracula, I'm not spying, I just happened to be here at the right time to overhear your latest plan'." This statement caused Aleera to collapse into a fit of hysterical laughter. Just then, two girls walked past; whispering to each other, one giving Anna an icy stare as she went.

"What's wrong with them?" Anna asked. Aleera stayed quiet, hoping Anna wouldn't catch onto why. Though of course she would catch on, this is Anna Valerious she's talking about. "Aleera? What are they saying about me?" The girl sighed and prepared to tell her best friend all the rumours about her.

"They're saying that you killed Verona, that you're cursed and you should've just let her do what she came to do." Anna's expression changed from a look of curiosity, to one of anger.

"So they're saying I should've let her kill my brother? Yes of course, just let him die!" She shouted out; probably too loudly. Many of the children in the yard had turned to look at her, some with icy stares and others with curious ones. Taking action, Anna stood on the nearest table. "You think that I killed Verona? I'll tell you. I did kill her. I killed her because she was going to kill my brother, and I wasn't going to stand by and end up like most of my family have. Why didn't I just let her get on with it? You ask. Because I can't. What would you have done in my position, distracted her? You'd only have gotten yourselves killed; and I have no intention of dying now. So, if that's all you were gossiping about; you can stop now." Anna jumped down from the table and walked with Aleera towards her brother. She tried to ignore the critical stares she received as she passed people by.

"I hope I didn't embarrass you." She said, looking him straight in the eye. Velkan put his arms around her, smiling.

"No Anna, you didn't embarrass me. I'm glad you said all that; they needed to know what it's like for us." As he walked away, Ash came up behind Anna and put a hand on her back.

"Well done." He said. It was a simple statement; but it made shivers run up and down her spine. Aleera took note of this and smiled to herself.

"You like him don't you?" She asked Anna as they walked towards their next class.

"What?" Anna asked, turning to face her. "Who are you talking about?" Aleera smiled sweetly.

"Only a certain male by the name of Ash Nistor…" Now it was Anna's turn to go red. "I knew it! Anna has a crush on someone!"

"At least it's not your best friend's brother." Anna shot back.

"No…but it's your brother's best friend…" Anna glared at Aleera, wishing that she'd never brought up the subject.

Three years passed since the 'incident' with Dracula. Anna was in her last year of school, with Velkan being 17; he had stayed on with Ash to help teach combat—as the teacher had passed away. This would've been fine if it had been a peaceful death; but unfortunately, Marishka had finished him off in an attack on the village. He still attended regular lessons, as he was getting a higher education. He was a prince after all. The school pupils had settled down a bit as they got older, so Velkan and Anna weren't given any more trouble. It was about half way through the first term, and things were going quite well—for Anna at least. She should enjoy the peace while she still can because pretty soon, it won't be there any more…

"She's growing up fast Boris…" He nodded solemnly.

"I don't know where my little girl went to…she' so mature." Helena stared directly in front of her, thinking silently.

"That may have something to do with being brought up in a world of fear and death, somewhere where it takes all your will just to survive. I hope she moves on from that." Boris put his hand over his wife's comfortingly.

"I'm glad you made up with her my Dear…" Helena smiled faintly.

"So am I, I suppose nearly loosing them both made me see how much I've missed out on. I just wanted to be close to her again, like I should've done a while ago…Now we're close again, I think there's hope for us now." Boris got up from the table they were seated at and glanced at the map that was on the opposite wall.

"The only thing standing between us and happiness now is Vladislaus Dragulia, and I plan on doing something about it." A brisk knock on the door destroyed the tense atmosphere in Valerious manor. Helena walked over to the door and opened it cautiously. She was handed an official-looking envelope by one of the village people.

"A telegram for you ma'am. From Rome." Helena nodded dismissively to the villager and closed the heavy door behind her. Ripping open the envelope, she began to read. She snapped her head up, her mouth slightly agape.

"Boris, you know I said I wish for Anna to move on from fear and death?" Her husband nodded slowly. "I think we've just been sent a way to do this." Boris walked over to his wife and took the telegram from her. "It's from the gypsy court. There are a few princes that have heard about Anna's coming of age. And they want her hand in marriage."

OO cliffie, well not really considering the next chapter will be up within the week. Yes I did say within the week, I've been a busy bee over these last few weeks. Please review, I'm soo close to 50 reviews, I can almost taste it!!!!


	11. Suitors

I was going to update sooner guys, but as you know, all the alerts and stuff went down and I didn't think it was worth it. But now the problem is fixed, I'm updating again! This is dedicated to my newest reviewer **hughfan**, thanks for the reviews; I hope you enjoy this chapter!! Why do I always end with, Enjoy this chapter, or something like that? I'll try and think of something else next time, for fear of sounding boring :P

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It was early morning in Vaseria and a thick layer of snow covered every surface in sight. Anna and Velkan were busy getting ready for another day at school, whilst Boris and Helena were downstairs, talking about the recent telegram. 

"Surely it wouldn't be bad for Anna to start looking for a husband? Her carrying on this hunt for Dracula seems quite pointless; you know it would make her chances of finding a husband decrease severely?" Helena challenged Boris across the table in the kitchen. Boris shook his head.

"You know full well that she will not like it Helena. She is a very independent young woman."

"All the more reason to help her swallow her pride and look for a husband. She will come round Boris; I'll make sure of it." There was still a lot of doubt in Boris' mind as to whether his daughter would go for the idea. After all, Helena had only just re-bonded with her; could this destroy the fragile relationship they had managed to restore?

"If anything My Dear, Anna is stubborn, are you prepared to fight with her on this?" Helena smiled.

"Of course I am Boris, as you well know, it isn't proper for a princess to be over sixteen and not be married or looking for a husband. She needs to start behaving like the young lady she really is."

"As long as you know that she won't be very taken with the idea…but you do what you think is best."

"Thank you, I intent on doing just that. She needs this opportunity—"

"What opportunity Mama?" Helena stopped abruptly as Anna walked into the kitchen.

"Nothing you need fret about my dear, you must go now or you'll be late!"

The day passed quickly for both Velkan and Anna. For once, Velkan had gotten out of school on time, and was accompanying Anna on her walk home. Aleera and Ash were with them.

"So boys," Anna began. "How are your classes going?" Velkan smiled at Ash, who bit his lip. "What?" Anna asked.

"We scared the first year boys out of their wits today. One of them brought their sister along—but she didn't need to learn combat so we had to turn her down."

"And let's just say she wasn't very happy about it…" Ash carried on. Aleera looked at Ash puzzled.

"I'm not even going to ask." She replied. She didn't even try and look at Velkan, as soon as she did; she would start to blush. Aleera was jealous of Anna for that reason. She hid her attraction to Ash very well; no-one would ever notice she had one. Aleera on the other hand… They came to Valerious manor and Velkan and Anna said goodbye to their friends, making their way up the path and into the house

* * *

The pair entered the manor, and were greeted by the sounds of hushed whispers. Velkan slammed the door deliberately; in case their parents were talking about something confidential. Helena opened the door to the study, and looked at them. Her stared then fixed on Anna. 

"Anna, can we have a word with you please?" Giving Velkan a perplexed look, Anna walked cautiously towards into the study. Her father was stood at the back of the room, his arms folded securely across his chest. It wasn't often that Anna saw her father looking extremely uncomfortable, but this was an exception. Whatever was about to be said, Anna had a feeling she wouldn't like it. She walked into the centre of the room, in the middle of her mother and father and looked into Helena's eyes. Helena held her curious gaze with one of authority and care, before breaking the silence.

"Why don't you sit down, Anna?" Anna began to think it might've been a better idea to stand up against a wall, the centre of the room seemed almost intimidating; she felt exposed. Not budging, she cleared her throat.

"What's all this about Mama?" Helena shifted her weight apprehensively, preparing herself for what she was about to say.

"I think it's time that you found yourself a husband. Some princes from Rome have shown an interest in you and I think it would be wise for you to meet them. They are respectable suitors Anna; you'd do well with them." Suddenly, Anna let out a low chuckle.

"Very funny Mama…why did you really bring me here? As funny as this joke was—"

"It's no joke, Anna. I received a telegram yesterday about it." Anna stepped back slightly, her mouth agape. Never in a million years would she be forced into marriage—not with someone she didn't know.

"You can't be serious, I don't want to marry, you know that!" Helena gave Anna a stern look.

"It's a good idea, Anna. You won't get anywhere in life without someone to protect you—"

"I don't need anyone's protection! How do you think I've been surviving these past few years? I can look after myself!" Anna raged.

"I don't care Anna, it isn't right for you to not have a husband. Your father and I were married at your age!" Anna scowled.

"As I recall it was arranged and you both hated each other at first" She countered spitefully.

"How dare you say that? At first things were rocky, but look at us now. You will meet those princes young lady!"

"No. I won't let you do this to me! I won't see any of them." Helena walked up to Anna, looking at her.

"You have no choice Anna, they're coming whether you like it or not." Trying one last tactic, Anna turned to her father.

"Papa?" Boris shook his head, indicating that it was her mother's decision. His yes were soft; he hated seeing his daughter like this. In his heart of hearts he knew this wasn't what she wanted, that he should be stopping it, but he didn't feel it was his place to say so. Anna's eyes grew fierce, angry tears started to build in her eyes. She moved towards the door, turning her head to face her father one last time. She whispered. "I thought I could trust you!" Giving him a betrayed look, she ran up to her bedroom, where she sat, crying, until the next day.

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I know I suck, it was a short chapter, but I'm building up for what's to come next. I was experimenting with the ruler tool; it's only just decided it wants to work again so I hope it showed up... 

So what did you think, loved it? Hated it? Please let me know! I've had over 700 hits on this story and at least 8 different reviewers at one time or another, so there must be more of you out there that are reading this! Please let me know if you are! I love hearing from you, anonymous or not. Even if it's only a couple of words! To my actual reviewers, I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please keep it up, I like hearing your theories, yes, **Charmes Malheureux**, I'm talking about you :D

**Note to Vicky:** Thanks again for your review. I'm replying here because my e-mail is kinda temperamental right now, I'm only just managing to reply to my reviewers who are members on here. I do have plans for what happens to Aleera in this story, and it's no where near finished yet! Don't you worry!


	12. The First and Last

I'm back again with another chapter, this time it's thanks to my teachers. I got no homework this weekend!!! So I dedicated all my time to writing this chapter. Speaking of dedis, this Chappie is dedicated to **elephantian**, my new newest reviewer! Lol. Right, this did take a while to write because it's some pretty intense stuff, or that's how it was meant to come out anyways… Unfortunately, I had to start this chapter with the door opening again! It's like the third chapter but there was no way around it so I apologise. I better get on with it…There's no use keeping Charmes waiting is there :D

**The First and last**

The two siblings marched along the track, laughing together. The Transylvanian snow was pelting down, forming neat blankets on the ground; just waiting to be crunched through. Soft flakes were falling all around them, landing everywhere imaginable, sometimes settling on their faces, lingering for a second—before melting into oblivion. This type of weather often made the ground incredibly muddy and no matter how carefully you stepped, you always managed to get mud somewhere on your clothes; as the pair were rediscovering. The same thing happened every winter, after a typically dry summer, the people of Vaseria would forget what winter was like; they almost completely forgot what Snow looked like, what it felt like. That warm feeling of being completely soaked, extremely cold, yet incredibly happy—it was that feeling that the Valerious children were experiencing then. Anna started walking backwards, laughing as her brother got snow in his mouth; making him shudder as it hit his teeth. Velkan was also laughing at himself; as well as his sister's reaction, which made it even harder not to swallow more snow and begin the process again. The pair started to race each other, competing to see who was the fastest, it was neck-and-neck most of the way, until Anna got slightly ahead. Suddenly, Anna stumbled backwards, falling into a slushy puddle of ice and bog; Velkan saw his chance and tried to sprint off, laughing at his sister's misfortune—but Anna had other ideas for him. She stuck her leg out quickly, tripping Velkan, forcing him to land right on top of her. Both of them felt yet another fit of laughter bubble to the surface, sending them into delirium once more. Thankfully, they were only a few metres away from the Manor, with its warm fires and warm food. The pair pulled each other up, and walked towards the house arm-in-arm. Somehow, Anna had managed to scratch her face during the fall, but she could get that seen to at the house. With his spare hand, Velkan reached to the ground; grabbing onto a handful of snow. He quickly reached up and put it down Anna's back. Screeching in shock, Anna jumped forward, trying to shake the snow from down her back. Her expression turned into a glare and she reached down calmly, making a snowball from the thick snow that covered the grass of her garden. Velkan's eyes widened, he quickly brought his arms up to his face.

"Anna…you don't need to do that. Let's settle this peacefully…" He pleaded. Anna smirked, she wasn't going to comply. "Anna…No! Anna!" He continued, crying out in desperation just before the snowball hit him square in the face. Gasping in astonishment; Velkan tensed, the cold vibrating through all his bones.

"You're going to pay for that!" He promised, but Anna was already sprinting up the path. Velkan was hot on her heels. They were both laughing again as Anna rattled the door handle or the manor, wrenching it open. She had barely taken three steps into the manor, when she felt a pair of strong arms grab her around the waist from behind. She screeched loudly as Velkan lifted her up and swung her around on the spot.

"Velkan! Put me down!" She yelled through her laughter, flailing her legs in the air. Someone clearing their throat from beside them stopped their game in its tracks. The siblings looked down the corridor to their left, breathing in sharply at the sight that greeted them from the doorframe of the first common room. It was clear from the grave expression on their father's face that it had been him that had cleared his throat to get their attention; because there, next to him and their mother, was one of the gypsy kings from Rome,King Polak Josef , and his son.

Velkan, who still had both his arms around Anna's waist, quickly withdrew them at the sight of these important visitors in his house. He quickly regretted this though, as he suddenly felt the overpowering urge to protect Anna from these 'visitors'. Anna also, hated the fact that Velkan had removed his arms. She now felt extremely vulnerable, almost exposed. Doing the thing that felt best for her, she moved backwards slightly, until her back collided with Velkan's chest. In response to this, Velkan put one arm around her, resting it protectively on her hip, pulling her closer to him.

Boris smiled slightly at the closeness of his children. They'd matured so much, yet they still felt safest with each other, protecting one another. Helena's view of the situation however, was completely different. She saw her children next to each other, yes; but she saw the scene more materially than her husband. She saw her daughter, who their visitors were interested in, standing there, bloodied and wet; her hair a mess and caked in mud. What sort of impression did that give? Before she could say a word, Boris spoke up.

"Hello you two, what have you been up to?" Velkan felt the need to speak first.

"Not a lot Papa, just…playing…in-in the snow." Boris nodded softly.

"It looked like fun, I was watching, out of the window." Both siblings nodded to their father warily.

"Papa, who…?" Anna started, Boris' face lit with realisation.

"Oh, Anna, Velkan, this is King Polak Josef and his son, Prince Markovitz Josef. They…" Boris trailed off, unable to think of an acceptable and humane way to say what was coming next. So instead, Helena continued.

"Prince Markovitz has asked for your hand Anna, why don't you go and get yourself cleaned up for him?" Anna's fell on the prince properly for the first time. He had strong, green eyes that held power and authority; they had a hint of naivety in them. His was dressed in clothes of red, gold and silver; and around his neck hung a thick gold cross on an even golder chain. His taut features showed him to be extremely petulant and sour. As his clothes suggested, he looked very spoilt. Anna knew that they would never get along in a million years; her thoughts were being confirmed as he was looking down his nose at her motley appearance. Her fiery temper and stubbornness would be no match for him, she thought. Why not try it out.

"I don't think so Mama, this is who I am, if he can't deal with that then he will know not to marry me won't he?" Helena looked taken aback; so much so that she failed to provide a suitable comment for Anna's statement. All that escaped her lips was babbling nonsense. Anna maintained eye-contact with the prince, walking calmly towards him; having finally gotten over her anxiety. Velkan walked cautiously behind her, still wondering how safe she was. Anna stopped right in front of Prince Markovitz, looking him straight in the eye.

"Is there anything you want to ask me, Prince?" She folded her arms securely across her chest. Velkan relaxed a little, knowing Anna only really did that when she was confident—even if it was a confidence short-lived. The Prince cleared his throat.

"What can you cook? And…what hobbies you have" He replied, drawing out the sentence into a long drawl. Anna smirked slightly.

"No, I can't cook…but I like Horse riding…" The Prince's darkened face suddenly started to light up; Horse Riding was a very ladylike thing to do. "I love climbing trees, any sort of combat; particularly sword fighting and sparring. But most of all…I love hunting, Werewolf hunting." Turning his nose up, the Prince stepped back slightly. He shook his head at his father. Anna knew then that her plan had been successful.

"Let us go Father." He quickly turned to Helena. "I don't know how you both show your faces, bringing up such an unworthy daughter as her." With that he left, riding into the Vaserian snow.

That's it for another chapter. I love snow, so that had to go in there somewhere! I'm quite proud of this chapter, so…you know. But what really counts is what you guys thought of it, so please, please review!!! It only takes a second.

Charmes, now you won't kill me; I hope I restored your sanity. Though, I don't know what the problem is…I'm completely insane, it didn't do me any harm… :P

Kate x


	13. Go to Hell

Another chapter! Sorry it took a while, I've been a busy person! This chapter is dedicated to** jedimasterstar** my newest reviewer, again! I'm on a role with new reviewers, I love it! I love it more than I love Velkan, that's a lot, as you could tell by the last chapter of this fic… I'd just like to say thanks to all of you that are reading this fic now. I reached 1000 hits on Saturday so as you can imagine, I'm pretty pleased with that!! Lol. So, thank you!!! Because you guys deserve better than I'm giving you right now, I've merged 3 chapters into one super chapter!! I hope its ok. Call it an apology present :)

Everyone in Valerious Manor flinched as the oak front door slammed loudly. Anna smiled to herself, that got rid of one of these suitors at least. She wondered how many more of them there were; how many more times would she have to put them off? What would happen if it didn't work? She became vaguely aware that Velkan had come to stand next to her; Boris and Helena were still reeling from their encounter and hadn't realised yet.

"Are you alright?" Velkan whispered in her ear, so close that she could feel his breath on her neck. She nodded in response, grateful for having him stand by her—no matter what.

"Velkan." Boris' loud yet reserved voice called out. It was the way Boris spoke that held the attention of everyone he met. He could show the most emotion without changing the volume of his voice. Sometimes, Anna would wish her father would shout at her; anything was better than the disappointment that he showed through keeping his noise level barely above a whisper. Anna watched her brother look at their father expectantly. "Why don't you go to the library and get on with your work." Velkan gave Anna an uneasy glance; he'd rather not leave her alone with both his parents, he knew it wouldn't end well.

"But Papa…" He tried to protest.

"Now" Boris added firmly. Giving Anna an apologetic glance, Velkan cast his head to the floor and walked slowly towards the library. Anna walked calmly past her father and mother into the main common room. She stood, hands on hips, head cocked slightly to one side, awaiting her fate. Helena appeared beside Boris in the doorframe; the sound of her fathers voice was nothing compared to the look her mother was giving her then, Anna thought. But she didn't care any more. When your parents try and marry you off without your own consent—you're beyond caring how they feel. The only sound that could be heard was the grandfather clock in the hall, ticking in monotone, never falling out of rhythm. Helena's harsh stares were getting to Anna now, burning her, getting inside every crack in her skin; trying to break her. Trying.

"Why." Helena's voice broke the tense silence in the room. Anna's head snapped up.

"Why what?" She challenged; keeping her voice calm, the opposite of how she was feeling on the inside.

"Why turn him away Anna? You were so rude, he was royalty!" Helena's voice rose in tone and volume, Anna was sure Velkan would not be working upstairs now; but listening. She started to lose control.

"Well so am I! The only difference is that I'm a woman. Oh, that's right, it's fine for women to be treated differently, we can be treated like dirt!" She snapped.

"No Anna! You went into this with a negative attitude, if you were more civil, he would've been happy to have you; for sure!" Helena countered. Boris could only stand and watch as the two women in his life fought. He must not intervene—he could not intervene. Anna's blood started to boil.

"So this is what it's about. It doesn't matter if I like the person who you pick for me, as long as I'm civil it's alright. Well, that makes it a lot easier to handle. You never cared about me did you? It was all an act, to soften me up! Well, I'm not having it any more!" All the emotion that she'd bottled up over the past couple of days was finally coming out. Anna felt betrayed, let down and disappointed. How could her own mother use such a vile trick to get her own way? She could never, ever forgive that. She found herself shouting everything at her mother, letting out all her anger on her. She deserved it after all. Anna found herself wanting, needing her to hurt, just like she had been. She didn't care how hurt she was anymore. It was nothing compared to how she was feeling. "I hate you!" She finally finished, panting, nearly crying from her mixture of anger and disappointment. She still couldn't get one word from her mind. Betrayal. "I hate you" She expressed again, whispering it this time. She took a few steps towards her mother, still shaking from her outburst. Helena's face had remained the same through the whole thing, angry, unresponsive, empty. Anna gave her one last glance, before heading towards the door.

"Don't even think about leaving this room, young lady." Helena's dead-pan voice flew out, across the silent sea of emotions hovering in the room. Anna turned around fully, purposefully looking her mother in the eye as she stood right in front of her.

"Go to Hell." Those spiteful words, deliberately chosen rang out, hitting her mother like a brick through a window, but she did not shatter. The slap came. In some ways, Anna knew it would. It came hard and fast, hitting her on the cheek. A sharp intake of breath could be heard from Boris, as he witnessed the assault. Never before had he seen Helena so angry that she would hit one of the children. Though, he had never seen Anna that angry either. He had known this was a bad idea. Why had he gone along with it? The fact that Anna had said those words at all, let alone that they were aimed at her own mother, made Boris realise just how she was feeling. It was daring, but he knew, once she had calmed down, there was only a small chance she would regret it. Anna walked briskly from the room, her stinging cheek throbbing. It was only when she got to her room, that she realised the full effect those words had on everyone. She had wished her mother had been sent to hell, she wished she would never enter through the gates of Saint Peter. Which would happen, if she could not defeat Dracula. Everything she was fighting for had just been destroyed.

She ran up the stairs hurriedly, slamming her bedroom door shut in irritation. She slid down the rough door, curling up on the floor. It was then that the first tears started to fall. They ran slowly down her cheeks, easing the stinging sensation on one of them. Their pace picked up, they were now running down her face in a steady flow, dripping off her chin onto the soft fabric of her top. She shouldn't be so upset over this, she had done nothing wrong, it was all her mothers doing. If she had just…no. It was her fault. All of it was her fault, nothing was so bad that she had to use those words. Using them made her as bad as Dracula, she didn't deserve parents who looked after her. She wiped her face with her sleeve and stood up. Walking calmly over to the balcony, she sat on the railing, leaning against the point where the wall met it, out of sight from her bedroom. She pulled her legs up to her chest and settled her arms around them. The night was still, no wind, just nothingness. Anna looked out to the horizon, watching soft silhouettes of birds fly out of the forest towards the sky. It was so peaceful.

"It's a beautiful night." Velkan's soft, caring voice came from next to her. Anna turned her head. Her brother was leaning against the stone railing, facing the same way she was. Anna smiled softly towards her brother. She was so glad she had someone like him, that cared for her, looked out for her like he did.

"I'm taking it that you heard everything from downstairs then." She assumed, recognising the whole 'pep talk' sort of look he was giving her.

"Yes I did." Velkan saw the expectant look in Anna's eyes. "What else did you want me to say?" He asked softly, walking towards her. Her eyes stared to shine again, their gaze almost desperate.

"Tell me what to do." She pleaded softly. "I don't know what to do!" She moved her hands in front of her face as the tears once again threatened to spill. Velkan, hating the way his sister was feeling, quickly thought of something, anything that could help her. He bent down to the side of her, taking both her hands gently away from her face.

"Look at me Anna." He said, his voice caring. She met his gaze quickly, searching his eyes for any trace of…well; she wasn't that sure what she was looking for. "I think you know what you need to do." His voice seemed so certain, trusting of her. Anna threw her arms around her brother shakily.

"Thank you." It was all that she needed to say. Finally knowing what she had to do, she walked back through her room and down the stairs to where she had left her parents.

Her heart pounded rapidly in her chest. Never before had it beat so fast, not even when she had faced that Werewolf all those years ago. Pushing open the door cautiously, she poked her head around it, looking at her Parents; stood in the same positions that she'd left them in before. She walked towards her mother, her steps echoing louder than usual on the cold stone floor. Anna found it very hard to meet her mother's gaze; she began to stare at the stone floor, studying every intricate detail, every crack.

"Mama…" She trailed off, not finding words powerful enough to use. Finally, she managed to pluck up the courage to look Helena in the eye. "I'm sorry…" Helena's face remained stern, her eyes cold and unwelcoming. Much to Anna's dismay, they didn't soften.

"Well Anna, sorry doesn't cut it this time. As far as I'm concerned; I no longer have a daughter." Anna's heart fell straight to her boots; she was surprised it didn't stop altogether. It took all her self control not to break down and cry on the spot. With all the self control she could muster, she turned and walked out of the newly-opened door. Could things get much worse? She walked numbly, not letting anything in, afraid she would let more out. No emotion touched her, it was her defence mechanism, show nothing, _feel_ nothing—that way you won't get hurt. Closing her bedroom door calmly, she sat on her bed cupping her head in her hands. She heard footsteps in the room. She'd almost forgotten her brother hadn't left with her. The bed sank down a little way as Velkan sat next to her, putting a hand on her back. Anna felt the wave of emotion she had tried to tame come flooding over her, crumbling the wall she had tried to build around herself. First, only a few tears escaped from her eyes; but soon, she was unable to control anything and the never ending torrent of sadness fell. Velkan enveloped her into a comforting hug. He wrapped his strong arms around her, rubbing her back and smoothing her hair from her face. As she sat there, shaking in his arms, he realised that something really bad had happened; and whatever it was—he wished he could just take away her pain, or maybe even bear it for her.

Well, there we go, the end of the super chapter! What did you guys think? It took a long time to write this, it was really challenging, but I think I got it alright in the end. Please drop me a line. There's a very cute purpley coloured button down there somewhere, please press it, it's feeling useless right now. It needs some mouse-clicking love, please, rescue the review button today!!!

If you guys are confused on the whole 'Go to Hell' phrase thingy, I thought it would be very improper considering the whole Dracula situation…So there's that cleared up if there was anyone wondering…If you're still confused, just ask me ;)


	14. Friendly Faces?

Another chapter!! Wooo I'm on a roll! Okies, this chappie is dedicated to two people. CharredRose3333 and Charmes Malheureux, just because ;) The ideas they have given me are amazing, and the personal feedback :D I'd really appreciate it if anyone has any suggestions for how I could improve, if they could either tell me in a review, or in a PM or something. Because, I'm sure there's something I need to work on ;) Not saying that I don't like my work, because I do…Here's chapter…14 is it? Wow 14 already…

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Opening her eyes groggily, Anna looked around. She was in her bed, as usual, but something was different. Opening her eyes wider, she looked around, dazed. Rolling over, she almost bumped into something; for lying next to her on her bed, was a lump. Well, that's all she could see. Cautiously, she sat up, peering over the cover to see who—or what, was lying next to her. Finally seeing who it was, she smiled. Velkan lay, curled up in the covers, his mass of curly hair covering his face. Thankfully, he was still asleep. Being careful not to roll too far to the other side for fear of falling off the bed, Anna looked to the window. It was still pitch black outside, so it was way too early to get up. She decided to go back to sleep. What was the harm in getting a few more hours? Laying on her back, she closed her eyes; waiting for sleep to overtake her again…

_Suitors…_

_King Polak Josef and his son…**Prince Markovitz Josef…**_

_Unworthy daughter…_

_I hate you…_

_Go to Hell!_

_Sorry doesn't cut it this time…_

_As far as I'm concerned; I no longer have a daughter…_

_I no longer have a daughter…_

_No longer have a daughter…_

Her eyes flew open as she sat upright in bed. Sweat beaded her brow as she breathed heavily. The events of the previous day came flooding back into her mind, blocking out any other thoughts that might've been there. She hoped that it was just a dream; wished it wasn't real. There was a small part of her hanging onto the hope it was a trick of the mind; the naïve part of her, the immature part. She'd grown up too quickly for wishing, hoping. Sometimes she asked herself if she had had to grow up too quickly. She was made to act older than her age ever since she could remember; that was all part of being a princess though, right? Maybe not. The life lessons she had learned eradicated any childish fantasies she may have had, or wanted to hold onto. Even if she had wanted to act her age, the threat of Dracula wouldn't wait until she was ready to grow up. She really had no choice.

There was no school today, she knew that; it had snowed too heavily and the sky was a shade darker than safety. Anna quietly got out of bed and padded softly over the window. The sun wasn't out; even that had abandoned her. She needed someone to talk to, someone outside of her family. Velkan was so kind to her, but he didn't need to be a part of this, he didn't have to take sides. The last thing she wanted was to ruin his relationship with his mother. Checking that her brother was still asleep, she quickly pulled on her clothes before going into the library. She wrote Velkan a small note and placed it on the table nearest to him before taking one last look at him, and walking down the stairs. Locating her sword, she sheathed it and walked outside into the snow. She finally knew who to go to.

The walk was supposed to be a short one but the combination of thick snow and thoughts swimming in Anna's head made it slower than she thought. What went wrong? In one day she had managed to wreck her new-found relationship with her mother and ruin everything. She'd been so happy, and her mother was making an effort…so what changed? It's my fault. I should've been nicer to that prince, we might've gotten along eventually…I just wanted to be happy with my family for once. Couldn't God grant us that one thing? That tiny little thing…happiness. We deserve it after all, fighting Dracula for so long. So why is he so reluctant to give it to us?

Whispering, she asked. "What did we do to deserve this?" Snow started to fall, resembling the feeling of her sinking heart when he didn't reply. She was suddenly overwhelmed by remorse and sorrow. More so than she had ever felt before. Is this what it felt like to be alone? Outcast and afraid, so sad you feel like the world will end if you don't do something about it; but you're so insignificant and it wouldn't make a difference? Anna hated it. She couldn't feel like this, she had to be strong. If no-one else was going to look out for her, she would have to do it alone. A new emotion began to fill her. Anger. Why was she blaming herself? Her mother was to blame in all of this, if she hadn't have insisted on Anna meeting that Prince against her will none of this would've happened. No-one would've gotten angry and lost their temper, it would all be perfect. Without thinking, she un-sheathed her sword, lashing out at the nearest tree, crying out in anguish. She stared at the base of the tree, studying the thin mark on the thick, dark trunk where her sword had caught. Reaching out, she outlined it with her hand, tears starting to form in her eyes. She sank down, leaning her back against the tree, and she let the tears fall.

Anna had finally had the courage to get up and finish her walk to Aleera's house. She debated whether to actually knock on the door, hesitating, wondering whether it was a smart move to get her involved too. But she was her best friend after all, what did she have to lose? She knocked sharply, hoping Aleera was in. To her relief, the old door was quickly opened and she was greeted with the sight of her best friend.

"Anna, hi…you do know there's no school today?" She asked, leaning against the doorframe. Anna smiled weakly.

"Yeah I know I just…" Anna sighed. "I really need to talk." Understanding flooded Aleera's face and she stepped aside to let Anna through. Smiling gratefully, Anna walked past her friend into the small yet warm kitchen. It was a lot more basic than Anna had at the manor, most of the furniture was made from wood, and the log fire burning in the corner wasn't protected. But Anna felt more at home there than she would in her room right now. Aleera joined her at the small table and smiled.

"So, what did you need to talk about?" Anna recounted the story to her best friend, careful to tell her everything. After hearing the full story, Aleera sat silently; think about what she would say. Unfortunately her brain failed to function because of the information overload; and all she came up with was…

"Wow." Cursing herself silently, she attempted to carry on. "That's really bad." _Come on Aleera, engage brain._ Instead of rectifying herself and elaborating on her choice of words, Aleera got up, shuffling over to the kitchen window. More time had passed than she had expected—it was already dark outside. "Another dark day…" She pointed out, keeping her eyes glued to the scene outside. "You should be heading home Anna, this weather's perfect for…Dracula and his brides." Anna nodded, not seeing the brief look of admiration flash through Aleera's eyes. She bid her farewell and saw herself out. Aleera watched out of the window as Anna ran back down the path and out of sight.

"Yes…perfect weather for the perfect villain."

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Well that's that chapter done. Down to the serious stuff. This will be my last update before Christmas because in reality I won't actually be at home over the holidays. However, everything's planned and hopefully I'll be updating again after the holidays. I know exactly what's going to happen next and so on until the end and I promise you that it won't disappoint in terms of storyline and character development-I'm working extra hard on that ;) Thank you guys so much for your support this year and I hope it'll carry on into the next one, I know I can count on all of you!!

So until then, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Have a good holiday!

Kate xxxx


	15. Mine

Hope you all had a good Christmas/ New Year. I know, it's late but better late than never right? I know I've been such an idiotic…idiot(lol) lately for not updating and you guys deserve so much better than me and I am really really really sorry. I have my end of year exams/ Mock SATS next week and my real SATS in May, plus my stupid mock mock exam tomorrow. Yes you're all probably thinking 'wtf? A mock mock? Who the hell sets those?' they exist. They are the bane of my life. I hate exams. Anyways, that's my excuse. Books, revising etc… And yes, you did hear me say I have my end of year exams in February, that's also crazy. Though enough of my rambles on with the chapter. Dedi-ed to **Reach ing for the Stars**, my newest reviewer!

P.S- My ruler tool chose this update to start working properly so there are lines in this chapter!! Lots of lines!! Lol.

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She couldn't remember how she had made it home. She couldn't even remember what had happened in the two days following her visit to Aleera's. She only knew that it was a school day and she finally had a distraction. Not even bothering with breakfast after she had changed, she walked towards the door where Velkan was waiting for her. The two siblings yelled their goodbyes only receiving 'Have a good day' from their father and 'Goodbye Velkan' from their mother. Anna hadn't thought it was possible for her heart to sink any more than it already had—she had been wrong. 

Velkan walked into the courtyard with his hand placed securely on Anna's hip; he was so happy to see her smiling again, even if it was only because she was out of the house. The two siblings soon spotted the gang in their usual place on the stone block. Upon seeing her best friend, Aleera came sprinting up to Anna, grinning her typically girly grin. Her eyes were sparkling with excitement.

"Guess what?!" She questioned, jumping on the spot so much, Anna half-expected her to take off. She smiled at the thought.

"What?" She replied, not really knowing how else to reply.

"The Ball has been organised! Boys are already starting to ask girls to go!! Don't you think it's exciting?!" On the contrary, Anna didn't think it was exciting. It was her idea of a nightmare come true. Frolicking around in a ball gown for an evening certainly wasn't her idea of fun either. She wasn't exactly best friends with her feminine side. And dancing with a boy! That was something she was sure wouldn't happen. Who would want to dance with her anyway? Come to think of it, who in their right mind would actually ask her to the Ball?

"Anna? Hello? Are you going to answer me or not?" Anna lifted her gaze from the spot on the ground she had been focussing on subconsciously; and faced Aleera once more.

"Yeah sure, sounds good…" She answered, waving her hand dismissively; not even knowing (or caring) what she had been asked in the first place. Her friends voice became distorted, it slowed. Her words now an inaudible drone. Anna found herself staring at the person sat behind Aleera on the stone block. Staring at Ash.

He saw her staring. He didn't really mind, he just hoped it wasn't a bad thing. Anna hardly ever stared. Well, maybe if she was tracking or she was really focussed on a fight; or maybe if she'd lost all focus on a subject—then she would stare. But she was staring _at him. _He was aware that she and Aleera had just been talking about the dance so there was a possibility she felt the way he did. He hadn't made it obvious that he liked her, had he? Aleera was still trying to get her attention, he noted, amused. That's the second time today she has stopped listening to her. Who could blame her though? Aleera's unnecessary babbling could sometimes be too much to bear, and Anna had to put up with it all day; every day. Ash waved nervously at her, smiling. She seemed shocked, like she had just been awoken from a dream. She quickly walked off with Aleera in tow. His smile widened. The chance she felt the same way as him was there, however small that chance, it was still there. So he decided. He would ask her tonight.

* * *

The lessons before break seemed to fly past for everyone. Everyone, that is, except Anna. She has the misfortune of having double Latin, where she had to endure the constant talk of the Ball and the 'cute boys' that people wanted to be asked out by. Why was she the only one that wasn't interested? Was it because she just didn't want to go? Or because she knew she would be disappointed. She'd had her fair share of heartbreak; the mess with her mother was just another emotional scar to add to her list of many. Every time one of her family died she felt that same emptiness, another dark space in her heart that would never be filled. The pain was bordering unbearable, and she never wanted to feel it. The pain of not being asked to dance, of something so small, trivial, was almost worse. It was unnecessary. In her heart of hearts, she knew she was just setting herself up for a fall by hoping. She wouldn't let that happen. Not again. 

After what seemed like forever, the hand bell was finally heard. Anna leapt from her seat, breaking into a brisk walk when she got near enough to the door; ignoring her teacher squeaking out homework instructions in Latin over the din of her class.

"Anna!" She stopped suddenly, turning to face her brother; red-in-the-face from running. "I need to ask you something" He panted, trying his hardest to catch his breath. She nodded.

"Alright…What is it?" Velkan lowered his head for a second, collecting himself, before looking her in the eye.

"I want to ask Aleera to the dance." _He didn't beat around the bush did he?_ Anna thought to herself. She smiled slightly, recalling the conversation she had with Aleera a few weeks before. _I'm so glad he feels the same way she does…_As well as being happy for her brother and her best friend, she also felt a bit…jealous. Jealous that he could get his act together, get past all his emotional baggage and ask out the person he likes, maybe even loves…While she's stuck in the never-ending loop of confusion. Anna finally pulled herself together.

"Can I just ask why you're asking me and not her…because, you know…" She trailed off.

"Because you're her best friend." He said. Obviously thinking that was an acceptable answer.

"And…" Again she trailed off. Velkan cast his gaze downward, his cheeks turning red.

"Are you…asking my permission?" Anna suppressed a laugh as she watched her brother's cheeks turn a furious shade of scarlet. "You are, aren't you?" Velkan nodded. The movement was so small, Anna nearly missed it. Suddenly she was laughing. Very softly, but it was a laugh none-the-less. The fact her brother was asking her permission to ask out her best friend was just too cute. "What do you think I'll say?" Velkan muttered something, shrugging his shoulders.

"Would you mind if I…You know…" She stopped laughing, grabbing her brother by the hand.

"Of course not you fool!" She smiled widely. Velkan grinned at her, sweeping her into a bear-hug before running off to find Aleera.

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At lunch time Velkan and Aleera were nowhere to be seen by the rest of the gang. News had spread that Velkan had asked her to the dance, so their absence seemed reasonable. As Anna sat with Ash, Artur and Dominik she couldn't help wondering who they were all going to ask to the ball. It also occurred to her that Artur and Dominik may find it slightly tricky to ask out a girl and actually get her to say 'Yes'. Ash on the other hand…he could have any girl in the school if he wanted to; Anna was sure of it.

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"Anna!" She wheeled around, just in time to see Ash sprinting towards her. She smiled despite her somber mood as she waited for him to catch up. "Can I walk you home?" He offered, grinning. She nodded. It wasn't as if she had company on her walk home. Velkan was offering Aleera her own escort into town. 

"I guess I can let you this one time." She smirked. "As long as you don't make a habit of it." Ash shook his head.

"I highly doubt it'll become a habit Anna, after all, there are lots of damsels in distress I need to save with my so-called 'pointy stick', as a girl from your year put it this afternoon…" Anna laughed.

"Why Master Nistor, are you suggesting I need your assistance?" She asked, pretending to look hurt. Ash gasped.

"No! Of course not," He said. Leaning down, he put his mouth near to her ear, whispering. "Though if you ever did need it…I would be there in a heart beat." The feel of his hot breath on her neck sent shivers running down her spine. If only he knew what torture he was putting her through…Casually, Ash placed his hand around Anna's waist as they walked. An involuntary shiver ran through her, which didn't go unnoticed by him.

"Are you cold?" Ash asked, concern etched all over his features. Anna shook her head.

"I'm fine." She muttered. She recognized that start of the path leading up to the manor, and she couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment. Ash's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"I need to ask you something…About the dance."

"Oh…" Was all Anna could manage. Great he wanted her advice on who to ask.

"You see, I want to ask somebody who I like very much, but heaven forbid, I'm actually afraid of her answer. She's not really like other girls, you know."

"Yeah I know." Anna muttered, trying desperately to hide her disappointment. Now there was no chance of him asking her, she should just give up hoping. "You should just ask her, if she says no, she's not worth it." She replied, fiddling idly with the hem of her shirt. If she couldn't be happy, she'd at least know she helped her best friend to be.

"But she is so worth it." Ash replied as they reached her door; he maneuvered her by her wrists so that she faced him. His caring blue eyes looked into hers with care. "So will you go with me?" Anna did a double-take.

"What?" She asked dumbfounded.

"Will you go with me to the ball? You don't know just how long I've waited to ask you this Anna. I love you. I've known it since the first time I saw you, spoke to you; I only hope you will accept." He reached up, brushing his hand softly along her cheek. The touch, however sensitive, reminded her of the meeting in the playground; the one in which Dracula had used that very same motion towards her. Should she really be doing this? Dragging Ash into her messy excuse for a life?

"You may not be saying that when Dracula knocks on your door…" She said softly, half laughing, half crying. She heard him laugh too.

"I am more than willing to take that risk." He replied. Taking her head into his hands, he gently tilted her head so her eyes met his. Ever so slowly, he inched his face down towards her, holding her stare. Anna felt like she was melting into his gaze. Then, his lips were on hers. The kiss was slow, sensual, shallow at first; neither daring to deepen it. Whether it was because they didn't want it to end too quickly, or whether they were both paralyzed by their mutual shock neither knew. Emotions hit both teenagers, Shock. Surprise. Relief. Adoration. Safety. Love.

The sweet scent of lavender was the first thing Ash smelled. He could even taste it on her. How had he not noticed before? When he talked with her, sparred with her. But that was just it—he _had_ noticed. It was the scent that had haunted his dreams for what seemed like an eternity.

It was finally happening. He was kissing her, she was kissing him and it felt right. It felt so right. Instinctively, she snaked her hands up and around his neck. Her heart soared. She was finally loved for being herself, finally being acknowledged by someone other than her brother and she felt safe. He feels safe, she realized. Feels like home.

They broke apart. Anna realized that one of Ash's hands had found her waist and was resting on her hip. They both just stood there, grinning at each other in stunned silence.

"I'll take that as a 'yes' then?" Ash asked, studying Anna's face; trying to take in every intricate detail before he had to leave. He watched as her face crumpled slightly before she nodded, throwing her arms around him.

"Yes" She whispered. After a moment she added "I love you too." Ash grinned, kissing her cheek before putting her down.

"That's very reassuring…I suppose I'll see you in the morning…Goodnight Mea." He kissing her hand, before stepping off the doorstep; beginning to walk away.

"Goodnight." Anna replied. After a second, she spoke again. "What did you just call me?" Ash turned around.

"I called you Mea…It means mine." He smiled, his eyes sparkling, before turning and walking into the darkness.

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Her reaction to the name will be in the next chapter. Just for referencing, Mea in this fic is pronounced 'Meya'. It can also be pronounced 'Mia' but it didn't fit as well. And it actually does mean 'Mine' I checked :D I'll apologize again for not updating sooner but I wanted to take time and care with this chapter because it needed sheer brilliance (Which I need to spend lots and lots of time over) Also had exams etc…as I explained at the top of the page. I have more exams next week lucky me!! Anyways, please review if you're reading Anonymous or not. I just want to know whether you're enjoying it, whether you don't like it or what I can improve on. One little note: Someone asked me a while back if Dracula would be in the story; he's made one appearance, look out for another pretty soon!! Thank you to all those lovely people who reviewed the last chapter. My aim is to get 100 reviews by the end of the fic, that'll be five a chapter I think…Anyways, until next time. 

Kate x


	16. The Ball

OK, well, I'm going to make this short because I know that you will all be very very angry at me for keeping you waiting for so long. I'm so sorry. Writers block got the better of me again. This time it was so bad I couldn't even write two sentences without running out of inspiration. No matter, it's sorted now. Anyways as always this chapter is dedicated to my four new reviewers **DrusillaBraun**, **X-Dreamweaver-X**, **vampslayerwannabe**,** Kairi's-twin** and Nat and Amy coz you're brill! Thanks again guys!!

Disclaimer- It's about time I wrote one of these again, just in case. If I owned Van Helsing, I wouldn't be here writing FANfiction, because I would be the author, not the fan. _

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I called you Mea…It means mine_

_Mine…_

She wasn't really sure how she'd feel when she heard that. Independence was a big issue for her, and normally she hated the thought of women being treated like possessions by men. But the way he said it…it just rolled off his tongue so beautifully that all the possible reactions she could've had just rolled into one and Anna found herself feeling that she didn't mind the name. Maybe things would be better from now on after all.

_One week later…_

"I don't believe the ball is tonight!! I mean, they could've given us the day off to get ready or something!" Aleera ranted. Unfortunately it was nothing Ash, Velkan and Anna hadn't heard before and they were all trying to block out her protesting. Ash was laughing, despite himself.

"Aleera, you don't need a whole day to get ready, all you have to do is put on a dress and put your hair up, there's nothing to it!" Anna and Velkan both nodded in agreement.

"Says you," Aleera pouted. "I thought you were on my side Velkan." Velkan stopped laughing abruptly.

"I'm not on any 'side'. It's just a ball Aleera; you look perfect no matter what you wear." Aleera seemed content with his answer and stopped her raving, giving up her fast pacing and sitting beside her boyfriend promptly. Anna leant back against Ash, sighing to herself.

"You do realize my father is coming tonight. Just to make sure nothing happens. Knowing Dracula, this'll be the one time he decides to target the ball and cause trouble." Ash pulled her closer to him before replying.

"Well, this is Dracula we're talking about. Trouble and chaos follow him wherever he goes. But don't let him spoil our night together; it's going to be fun." Fun…Not exactly the words Anna would use, but she'd go with it. She might just surprise herself.

Stood in front of the full-length mirror in one of the hallways, Anna stood. Staring at her reflection. She'd just changed into her dress for the ball, which had been hand-made by the dress-maker from town. The dress itself was the symbol of femininity, which was partly why Anna was uncomfortable wearing it. Made from red satin, it was floor-length—something that she was grateful for. She'd also been given a red scarf that she'd draped around her shoulders so it hung in just about the right place. Anna smiled in satisfaction. Maybe wearing a dress wasn't so bad…it was only for one night, after all…

"You look beautiful." Her father's voice startled her. She'd been so caught up in her reflection, that she hadn't noticed her father walk down the hall and stop behind her.

"You really think so Papa?" Anna asked despite herself, letting the uncertainty creep in for a few seconds. Boris chuckled quietly.

"No my dear, I know so…" That was the last she heard her father say before he walked down the stairs and out of sight. Feeling slightly more confidant now, Anna spun around in front of the mirror; starting to fully admire herself for who she was going to be for the night. She grinned. Knowing now that she was going to enjoy herself.

"Don't mind me." Called a voice, Anna stopped spinning abruptly. Turning just in time to see Velkan emerge from the shadows.

"How long have you been standing there?" Anna enquired, a little annoyed.

"Long enough to see you acting like a girl for once in your life." A smirk appeared on Velkan's face, making it clear to Anna just how amused he was. Anna feigned hurt.

"Alright, take advantage while you can, it won't be happening again." Velkan released the laugh he'd been holding and Anna couldn't help but laugh too. Her brother's laugh had always been infectious to her. In the excitement of the moment, Anna had failed to notice that her brother was wearing a suit. His black one, with no tie. This surprised her, because normally, her father made him wear one. Seeing her confusion, Velkan smiled.

"Father let me go for the more relaxed approach tonight. Considering Aleera seems to think it's so important for a girls dress to match her partners tie!" He rolled his eyes and cast his eye on his watch. Swiftly, he offered Anna his arm.

"Shall we dear sister?" Eagerly, Anna took his hand, nodding politely.

* * *

The siblings got into the coach with their father, trying to hold in their excitement. They knew only too well that in a few moments, they would be at the school, meeting their dates. Hopefully they were already there. 

Anna stared wistfully out of the carriage window at the dimly lit landscape. It was around dusk, but thankfully for her it wasn't raining. The small town went past in a blur, resembling Anna's thoughts at that moment. She had once again tried to patch things up with her mother before she left—again to no avail. As a result, she had decided to give up. Leave the misery of rejection behind and focus on the present. On the ball. For once she would be a princess, and prove the world wrong. She knew Ash wouldn't care how she acted tonight. He'd already told her he loved her anyway.

Glancing over at Velkan, she saw he held the same love-struck expression she had worn herself only a few days before when Ash walked her home. He was looking forward to being with Aleera formally for the first time. Anna was content knowing he would be happy tonight whatever happened, as long as Aleera was there. She also knew that Artur and Dominik would be there that night, though; they wouldn't be bringing a date. Dominik was too shy to ask anyone, and Anna wasn't friendly with any girl other than Aleera, so she couldn't ask anyone for him. Artur on the other hand, was too courageous, asking every girl that walked past him. They all turned him down. Anna wasn't at all surprised. He was extremely arrogant, plus, he did have a lower IQ than a goldfish. Most of the girls at her school wouldn't even give him the time of day…

The carriage pulled up outside the school. Boris got out first, going to give directions to the driver. Velkan steeped out next, he quickly turned around to help Anna out of the coach. She accepted, for what seemed like the first time; normally she hated people thinking she needed help getting out of a carriage. Tonight however, it was a combination of trying to act like a lady, and the extremely high heeled shoes that made her accept his offer. Looking over to one side of the coach, Anna caught sight of Ash wearing a black suit and tie to match, and- to Anna's surprise- he had his sheathed sword handing around his waist. She wasted no time in running over, however difficult it was, to meet him. He smiled brightly as she threw her arms around his neck, enveloping him in a hug.

"You look beautiful Anna." He whispered gently, making her smile softly to herself.

"I must say you're looking very handsome yourself…" As soon as Ash saw Velkan, he gasped. Seeing as Anna couldn't wear her own sword that night because of her dress, Velkan had said he would wear both. One on either side.

"Nice decoration there man." Ash laughed, "Expecting an invasion?" Velkan grinned widely.

"Something like that." He looked around nervously. "Is Aleera here yet?" Ash shook his head.

"No. But she will be, she's hardly going to get a better offer is she?" By this time, Boris had made his way to the main entrance and was stood waiting for the three teenagers to follow him inside. Ash offered Anna his arm, which she accepted gratefully. Velkan, walked with his father, deciding it would be safer to wait for Aleera in the hall.

The school looked totally different that evening. Colourful banners and streamers hung from pillars and from the ceiling. The stage was alive with sound and colour. As the sound of the ringing bell marked the start of the ball; Boris made his way to the back of the room, hand poised on the hilt of his sword. Where he knew it would stay all night.

Anna and Ash had already started dancing to the slow waltz being played out when it occurred to her. Aleera still hadn't arrived. At that present moment, Velkan was talking quietly with Dominik and Artur at the punch table, looking around the hall. Anna knew he was looking for Aleera. She had no idea what she would do if she stood up her brother. This was supposed to be the best night of the year for both of them—not just her.

"Anna? Are you listening?" Ash's voice snapped her from her thoughts. She smiled apologetically.

"Sorry. I'm just worried about Velkan. Aleera hasn't arrived yet."

"Still?" Ash questioned, looking around in disbelief. "Poor guy. Alright, once this dance is through, we'll go and see him, keep him company. Maybe you can dance with him for a while."

"Are you sure?" Ash nodded. "Alright, after this dance." A few moments later the band finished the number and Anna and Ash made their way over to Velkan. On seeing them approaching Velkan shook his head.

"No guys." He said, sternly.

"No what?" Anna replied.

"Just because Aleera hasn't turned up does not mean that I can ruin your evening." Anna was about to protest but Velkan cut her off. "Anna, you have been looking forward to this for so long. Go and dance with Ash. I'll dance with you later, but have some more fun first. I won't take no for an answer." Shaking her head, Anna hugged Velkan tightly.

"Only if you're sure…"

"I am. Now go!" He laughed slightly and watched the couple go back to the dance floor. Spying a girl sitting alone at a table, Velkan saw his chance. Walking smoothly up to her, he extended his arm.

"May I have this dance?" Nodding shyly the girl got up and took his hand. Velkan walked her up to where Anna and Ash had gone only moments before.

The merriment of the evening went on for two hours. Anna and Ash and Velkan and his partner, Lucia were both enjoying the sights and sounds of the ball. Both couples took to talking to each other over their partners shoulders. At one point, Anna and Velkan watched as Artur and Dominik began to dance with each other; stepping on each others' toes every third beat. This managed to send everyone into hysterics. The pair's antics even made Boris relax a bit. No-one had noticed it had begun to rain.

Suddenly, a huge gust of wind erupted from outside. The windows were thrown in on themselves, shattering and sending glass showering down on the occupants of the hall. The lights faded, flickered, then extinguished. People ran in all directions, screaming, crying, praying to be saved. They ran for the nearest exits but stopped short, because at least 10 Dwergi were stationed at each one. The screams got louder, Velkan, Anna, Ash and Boris had made their way to the centre of the room; and were standing there swords poised. Students were huddled in small groups around the edges of the room, crying infinitely. But above the loud crying and the shrill screaming; came a sound that sent shivers down Anna's spine. Cackling. But as well as the cackling, a deep, slow, evil laugh. Because in all the chaos, Marishka had flown through the open window, and was now standing on the stage. Next to Count Dracula.

Upon seeing the two vampires on the stage, the hall erupted into chaos once again. The girls screamed, the boys ran. Everyone was lost.

"I really didn't want to have to do this, did I Marishka?" The Bride shook her head with a pout, before cackling evilly once more. "You have all left me no choice. Dwergi. Kill them." Looking at the four exits around the room, the Valerious family and Ash all knew what must be done. As the Dwergi advanced, each person ran for an exit, raising their swords menacingly.

Anna swung her sword viciously, trying to aim for the Dwergi's goggles. Striking successfully, the affected beast fell to the ground with a primal scream; twitching a little before becoming motionless. Turning swiftly, she gasped at the closeness of another of the creatures. She aimed a kick at its middle sending it flying backwards into the rest of the Dwergi. This bought Anna just enough time to take three more out with her sword. The remaining monsters had surrounded her by this time. Smirked to herself, she grabbed a coin from her pocket and threw it up in the air. Stupidly, the Dwergi followed its journey upwards. Anna swung her sword whilst she spun in a circle, taking them all out in one fell swoop. Seeing that her father, brother and Ash were finishing their fights as well, she ran into the middle of the hall to join them.

Dracula smiled wickedly. "Now that I have your attention…" He looked around at the damage he had caused and pretended to be shocked. "Have I interrupted something?" When he got no response, Dracula only laughed more. "I'm so sorry…But you see, I had some news that just couldn't wait…" Silence enveloped the room. "Students. The Valerious family. Velkan. I would like to present you with the newest addition to my little family. My newest bride. Aleera Grasu!" From out of the rafters, a twirling figure flew down. Landing next to Dracula on the stage. A collective gasp ran through the crowd when they recognized who was standing there, for indeed, it was Aleera.

The room started to blur as the silence became even more suffocating. Anna's confused thoughts began to mingle with each other once again. Ones of dismay, anger, betrayal, shock. She couldn't believe what had happened. How she wished that if she pinched herself now she would wake herself up from this dream; but she knew it wouldn't work. They had predicted Dracula might make an appearance but never could they have predicted this. This was lower than low.

"No!" Her thought process was shattered by Velkan's yell. It took both Ash and Boris to hold him back so he wouldn't try and kill Dracula then with his bare hands. Anna could see the tears running down his face. Hot, angry tears of frustration and misery; this time he wasn't afraid to show his pain and Dracula saw it. He thrived upon it.

"Personally," He started. "I can't wait for you and Aleera to have a little sparring match, I know she won't hold back anymore. She can't feel love anymore. Not your love anyway." Velkan yelled again, out of pure rage and hatred. "My dear little Prince, you got too involved didn't you? You won't do that again…Come my brides, let us leave the Prince to his grief. We have stayed here long enough." Dracula smirked arrogantly whilst beckoning to his newest bride. Aleera looked Velkan in the eye before walking over to Dracula, kissing him purposefully on the mouth. Eventually, she pulled away, cackling as she transformed into her monster form before flying through one of the shattered windows. Marishka followed her straight away.

"I'll be looking for another bride before long Anna…Just you remember that." With that note, he followed his brides, disappearing into the night sky.

The buzz of fearful chatter started immediately, only stopping when the headmaster came reluctantly onto the stage, telling the students to leave promptly. Ash had gone to help clean up and secure the doorways, whilst Boris went on a full-scale hunt for any Dwergi that might still be on the loose. Anna however, was too concerned for Velkan to move.

He was stood motionless, staring at the spot where Aleera had last been standing; eyes glazed over. Anna walked carefully up to him, laying a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her with swollen eyes and tear marks down his face. Making to speak, he found that no sound could escape, and he fell to his knees. Anna acted quickly, getting down next to him and pulling him towards her. He finally broke down completely, sobbing into her chest.

"It's alright Velkan. Just let it out…" She whispered, rocking him back and forth.

"Why, Anna? Why would she do this to me?" Anna was sure that was the one question everyone would be asking—it was the only one no-one but Aleera could answer. Why had she felt the need to betray Velkan, betray her? Was it her choice? Or did Dracula force her into it? Somehow Anna knew it was Aleera's choice.

_This weather's perfect for…Dracula and his brides_

She had wondered at the time why she paused for so long; and why she sounded so wistful when she said his name. Now she knew. Aleera was fixated with him. So much so that she gave up everything to become his bride. Her sworn enemy. Why had she not realized sooner? A sudden thought struck her as she sat there holding her broken brother in her arms. Dracula had to die, that meant Aleera did too. Whether she had to be killed by one of them, or whether her Master died first; either way she would perish. By becoming her bride, she had signed her own death sentence. Her real death sentence. If Aleera wanted death, that is what she would get. One way or another, Aleera would die; and Anna wanted to be the one to kill her.

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Well, there's the end of another chapter. I know I probably don't deserve any reviews because I kept you guys waiting so long, but it really killed me when I couldn't write. I hated it. But I had no homework this weekend because of my tests so I used basically all of today to write this. If you could tell me what you thought of the chapter I would be very grateful, favourite lines or paragraphs etc...Thank you all for being patient or for checking I wasn't dead (Charmes that means you) Much appreciated ;) I'll try and write the next part over the week and next weekend depending on how much homework I get. Before we know it, it'll be half term which means one week of writing time!! Thanks again!

Kate x


	17. Death Sentence

Hi guys! I had a hectic couple of weeks but I'm back with another update. I cut this short because I thought one section of this chapter actually worked better in the next chapter. Anyways, I'll let you read ;)

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Somehow, Velkan, Anna and Boris had all got back into the carriage and had been driven home. The look on Velkan's face was enough to break Anna's heart on the spot. He gazed distantly out of the window, watching the shadows pass over in the sky. His eyes empty, bearing no emotion at all. This carried on when they got back to the manor. He walked silently up the staircase; not even saying goodnight to his mother who, they assumed, was already asleep. Her father only sighed deeply, before going to bed himself. It was only when Anna was alone, that she could let the concern for her brother take over her expression completely.

Her family were dysfunctional. That was for sure. They'd been plagued by Werewolves, wannabe vampire hunters and vampires themselves. Many members of the Valerious family died via Dracula in one way or another. As a family, they faced so much, but came through it all fighting—honour and dignity intact. The Valerious family were leaders. Anna had always been taught that; but now she wasn't so sure. She'd heard her family could deal with anything. But how can you deal with such betrayal? On such a huge scale. How would they ever come through this? Anna didn't know. She did know her brother though, how he was strong, brave, always came out smiling; but he was spontaneous, and Anna didn't trust that mixing with his other feelings. She needed to check on him again. But she needed to be prepared for a side to her brother she had never seen—and she knew it.

But nothing could have prepared her for what she did see. Him laying on his bad. Staring. He wore the same glazed expression he had when Dracula had announced Aleera as his bride. He was there. Staring. And it scared her. She wanted him to scream, cry, hit out; do something—anything. As long as he showed her he could feel. But he continued to lay there. Staring. Hesitantly, she walked towards him and perched on his bed. The springs squeaked under her and she winced; amongst the silence, the squeak sounded like a clap of thunder. She needed to talk to him; he needed to speak.

"Velkan?" She got no response, so she tried again; a little louder this time. "Velkan?" This time he flinched. At least Anna knew she was getting through. She stayed put, and spoke firmly, hoping he would listen to her. "You need to talk to me Velkan; you need to talk about what happened. It will hurt but you have to do it." A short, bitter laugh escaped Velkan's lips; Anna tried not to let it phase her. "Tell me what you're feeling. I can help you." In an instant, her brother was sat up, looking at her with something she could only describe as a mix of anger and loathing.

"You want to know what I feel Anna? Do you really? Because I don't think you do. You are just my annoying little sister, who I have to listen to moan about her poor relationship with our mother. Who had a good night with her date until Dracula dropped in. Who still has a boyfriend who loves her, that won't betray her." At this point, Velkan had stood, pulling Anna up with him. He forcefully shoved her backwards, she had to take a step; to stop herself from falling. "You had everything, just like me!" He threw weak punches in her direction, Anna caught them, using alternate hands. She saw the tears start to run down his cheeks as he punched on ever word. "Until that evil bastard took her away! I…can't…take it…anymore!" With every stroke, his punches had grown weaker and his tears had run faster. Anna had stopped stepping backwards, aware that he meant none of what he had said towards her. She recognised hurt when she saw it. Quickly, she gathered him in her arms, moving him towards his bed before his knees gave way. She threw the covers over him and lay down next to him over the quilt. Velkan's sobs lessened and Anna just stroked his hair until he fell asleep. She didn't leave his side that night; she couldn't leave him like Aleera had done so cruelly only a few hours ago.

The creak of the door awakened her the next morning. She stared groggily at the doorway and saw her mother standing there, watching. Awkwardly, Helena walked into the room, standing by the side of the bed. She regarded the position of Anna and her son warily; obviously uncomfortable with the fact Anna had consoled Velkan before her. She finally spoke.

"How is he?" Anna sighed, not wanting to begin an argument, she merely replied.

"Not good." Her mother nodded, taking in the information before asking again.

"How are you?" At this, Anna raised her eyebrows; the temptation to come back with a rude remark too strong to pass up.

"Why do you care all of a sudden?" Helen laughed.

"I don't. I was merely holding up formalities Anna. Your father is my husband and your brother is my son; we have to live under the same roof—I hoped we could be civil with each other." It was Anna's turn to laugh this time.

"This coming from the woman who has ignored me since you disowned me? Very civil Ma—Helena." Helena blanched at this. Yes she had disowned Anna, but never had she thought she would let go so quickly. Maybe her daughter was as independent as she made out to be.

"I'm glad to see you're taking what I said seriously, now that I have washed my hands of you."

"You're better off without me, and I'm certainly better off without you. Let's just leave it like that shall we?" Anna snapped, harshly.

"And I wondered why I didn't want you as a daughter anymore…" Helena remarked, beginning to walk away. Anna shook her head.

"You're pathetic." Helena waved a hand dismissively.

"I'm going into town. If your father asks, I'll be back in an hour." Anna watched her walk off, wondering why she had wanted to make up with her mother at all…

After a couple more hours of watching her brother sleep peacefully, Anna decided to take a walk. After all, it would be very easy to find her if anyone needed her. Her pace was slow; taking in every detail of the gardens. When she was younger, the tall trees and bushes had served as excellent hiding places in her harmless childhood games. Now, she saw them as things of beauty in a less than colourful world. Every corner of the grounds held memories for her—both good and bad. Anna tended to steer clear of certain parts of the gardens; she had enough on her mind without bringing up the bad memories buried between the roses and hedgerows.

Anna remained on the broad gravel path leading away from the manor, choosing not the stray onto the smaller footpaths or onto the grass. Even in the confines of her own garden; she did not have the courage to stray into the darker, more hidden areas. God only knew what lurked there. She was only half way down the main path when she noticed her; hovering just above the ground with an evil smirk fixed on her face. Her blue eyes blazed with a dangerous fire Anna saw only in the eyes of Dracula's brides, and she knew then; that the previous night had not been a dream. Aleera did not exist anymore; instead she left behind a mere shell of what she used to be. Containing only the basic emotions of hatred, greed and admiration for one man and one man only. Count Vladislaus Dragulia.

"Hello Anna." Aleera started, her tone sickly sweet. Anna shuddered, but kept her ground.

"Aleera." Her tone was short; making sure Aleera could feel the hatred radiating from every syllable.

"Now, now Anna, let us at least be civil to one another. I really hoped we could still be friends…" Anna let out a harsh laugh. "Now I'm hurt Anna. I thought you valued my friendship. Oh well, I brought you a good-will gesture anyway." Waving her hand downwards slowly, a sadistic grin appeared on the Bride's face. It was only then that Anna saw something has been lying on the path in front of her the whole time. But what shocked her was that it wasn't a something—but a someone. Before she moved Anna glanced up to where Aleera had been only seconds before; to find her gone. Satisfied that she was, in fact, gone rather than hiding; Anna ran up to the body on the floor.

It was a woman, laying with her back to her. Anna slowly reached out to roll her over, to find her body was stone cold; deathly cold. Swallowing back the bile that was collecting in her throat, she quickly rolled over the woman and gasped. She staggered backwards, head reeling. A wave of dizziness came over her and it finally dawned on her completely that Aleera had just made her day a whole lot worse. The woman lying there on the path was not a stranger to her. But her own mother.

Fighting back the tears that threatened to fall, Anna approached the body once more and studied it carefully. Helena was dressed just as she had been when she had gone into town that very morning. Her pale complexion now matched the colour of her petticoat. As Anna's eyes travelled further up her mother's body, she took in every detail. The rips in her skirt, the grass and mud that stained her knees. She had definitely put up a fight and that made it all the worse. Her mother died in fear. Anna's gaze finally came to rest on her neck, where two red puncture marks had been left; a disrespectful trail of dried blood snaked its way down, coming to rest on the collar of her dress.

Her eyes that had so often looked at Anna with contempt and loathing now held no colour. They held no truth, no emotion. They were now empty orbs devoid of the spirit that Anna had admired her mother for possessing. They didn't even bother to shut her eyes. Oh Lord…

A choked sob escaped Anna's lips; her vision became blurred by tears. She tried in vain to cry out to someone, to get help. But no sound would come out. Head hung low, her curls swung in front of her face as she let the tears fall. How could it be that she only saw her mother a few hours ago? Alive and well and now… She had been so horrible to her, but she was still family, she was still human. Yet, Anna was sat there, moping around. She had not even informed her brother and father yet… _I wondered why I didn't want you as a daughter anymore…_This memory provoked something in Anna. Still unable to speak, she pulled her pistol from her pocket; firing a shot up into the air...

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Well, there we have it for another update. Please review and tell me what you thought! Thank you all for your continued support, and for getting me so close to 100 reviews thus far! I'll try and get another chapter up soon.

Kate x


	18. Nothing

Please don't kill me guys. I was left completely uninspired and nothing I wrote during the summer could do the story justice. It's taken me this long to get this short chapter up. I've re-divided one of my chapters to include half of what would have been in this chapter, so the next one should be a lot longer. We're nearing the end of this story now, but there's still a few chapters left.

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Nothing

It had been a mere matter of days. Six days to be exact, since it had happened. Since then, life had passed Anna and her family by. There was no talk, no smiles; no laughter. Nothing. Instead of focussing on living each day at a time, Anna found herself going back to that day. Her mind playing the sight in a continuous loop that had haunted her dreams ever since she had witnessed it. The sight of her mother's body, cold and lifeless; a trophy for Dracula to gloat over; a celebration of Aleera becoming his bride. Most likely, her first kill.

It was all Anna saw; all her other memories temporarily erased; lost in the vast darkness of her mind. She desperately searched for those happier times, when they were a family—the four of them. But she still saw nothing, she felt nothing. At the moment, her life was nothing.

_BANG. She fired the shot. Unable to speak, unable to move, unable to breathe. Vision clouded by unshed tears she could only turn her head and wait for someone to come. How she prayed someone would come. But not her father; nor her brother. Both had been through so much, they didn't deserve to see the horrific sight she had seen. At least now her eyes were closed. Her hands shook as she placed the cold pistol onto the grass; fumbling with the safety catch she insisted she would never need. _

_In a frenzy of shouting her father emerged from the oak doorway, followed swiftly by Velkan. They sprinted fiercely towards her, both with a mix of emotions on their faces; confusion, fear, and determination. Velkan saw it first, the look in her eyes, the shape of the body at her side. The dress that was all too familiar. He reached out, trying desperately to stop his father before he discovered the truth in the harshest way possible. But Boris rushed on, racing to help his daughter and whoever was by her side. _

_She'd never forget the next chain of events. Boris finally reached his destination and reeled back; gasping in horror. His eyes wide in shock, he staggered backwards a few paces, trying to register the sight before his eyes. After a few brief moments, his face contorted into a grief-stricken grimace. A primal roar escaped his throat as he lowered himself to his wife's cold form; weeping. _

It was that sound that constantly rang in her ears, rhythmical—like a recurring drum beat.

A crashing sound from downstairs signalled her father finally cracking under the intense stare of the map of Romania. Boris had shrunk inside of himself soon after his wife had died. Burying himself in tedious tasks; the latest of these was searching for Dracula's lair. Day after day he scoured the worn picture, desperate to find something he had previously missed. Anna was worried that he was letting his anger consume him. But she remained silent for fear of upsetting her father more.

The usual reassurance for bereaved families didn't wash with her remaining relatives. The fact that there was a Heaven was irrelevant. The Valerious' would be forever stuck in Purgatory unless Dracula was slain. Anna was sure that this was the reason her father was so desperate to find him. To end the war once and for all.

Anna thought it would be best to check on her father and see what he had smashed, and more importantly, if he was hurt in any way.

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I said this was short, but this should be the shortest of all of my chapters. As I said, the next ones are set to be longer, and will see a bit more of Ash and the school, as well as a look into the future ;)

Thanks for sticking by me for this long! Kate x


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